The Huntington Beach Oilers will be taking part in a tournament against the Aquinas Falcons at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Huntington Beach is headed into the contest with an undefeated record on the line, something Marina almost spoiled on Friday. Huntington Beach had just enough and edged out Marina 4-2. Four seems to be a good number for the Oilers as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Ethan Porter made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched 1.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Porter was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other pitching news, Jake Frohn looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and not a single walk). Furthermore, he didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Jayton Greer, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. CJ Weinstein also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Aquinas has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.2 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Oaks Christian 11-10. Give the Falcons' hitters some serious credit: that high-scoring performance was actually the fewest runs they've scored all season.
Like Huntington Beach, Aquinas also got a great game from a two-way player: Jacob Bitonti. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Bitonti was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with one home run and three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Carter Hadnot was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Estaban Olazaba, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Aquinas kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
The win keeps Aquinas at an undefeated 5-0. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average this season. As for Huntington Beach, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-0.
Huntington Beach beat Aquinas 4-1 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Will Huntington Beach repeat their success, or does Aquinas has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
