The Mar Vista Mariners will take on the Sweetwater Red Devils at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mar Vista took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They came out on top against Southwest SD by a score of 4-1. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
MICHAEL MERCADO
| 02/28/26 vs Foothills Christian | 4 |
| 03/04/26 vs Holtville | 3 |
| 04/10/26 vs Chula Vista | 2 |
| 04/01/26 vs Crossroads | 2 |
| 03/13/26 @ Otay Ranch | 2 |
| + 1 more games |
MICHAEL MERCADO spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up six Ks. He has become a key player for Mar Vista: the team is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-11 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on TANNER KAVANAGH, who went 2-for-3 with one triple and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of ANTHONY PEREZ, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Sweetwater ultimately got the result they hoped for on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Castle Park 6-5. The Red Devils haven't had any issues with the Trojans recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Jayden Rodriguez and Jason Elliot made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Rodriguez pitched four innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Elliot struck out six batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off only one hit. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. At the plate, Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Elliot went 2-for-3 with one run and one double. Rodriguez is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Miguel Betancourt, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Sweetwater's victory bumped their record up to 7-12. As for Mar Vista, their win bumped their record up to 9-11.
Mar Vista got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in May of 2021 against Sweetwater by a conclusive 10-0 score. Do the Mariners have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Red Devils turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
