Santa Barbara hasn't had much luck against Rio Mesa recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Santa Barbara Dons will venture away from home to square off against the Rio Mesa Spartans at 3:30 p.m. Santa Barbara has given up an average of 9.8 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Santa Barbara is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Friday. They came up short against Ventura, falling 12-2.
Alina Magdaleno
| 03/07/25 @ Ventura | 2 |
| 03/01/25 vs Moorpark | 1 |
| 04/17/24 @ Rio Mesa | 1 |
| 04/04/24 vs Nordhoff | 1 |
| 03/08/24 @ Oxnard | 1 |
Alina Magdaleno made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two doubles, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Rio Mesa came tearing into Friday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Royals get on the board and left with a 7-0 victory.
Analia Lopez made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI.
In other batting news, Rio Mesa let Jaslene Rios and Jocelyn Gomez run wild. Rios scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-4, while Gomez scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Jazlynn Gonzalez, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Rio Mesa pushed their record up to 6-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Santa Barbara, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.
Both Santa Barbara and Rio Mesa just can't seem to miss. Santa Barbara has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. However, it's not like Rio Mesa struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Santa Barbara might still be hurting after the 22-5 defeat they got from Rio Mesa in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can Santa Barbara avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
