The Rancho Mirage Rattlers will face off against the St. Monica Mariners at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Rancho Mirage's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so St. Monica's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Rancho Mirage is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Crossroads 11-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Rattlers.
Jayden Cunningham looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Gael Martinez and Kobee Finnikin did most of the damage at the plate: Martinez got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Finnikin got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Edward Carlin was another key player, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, St. Monica had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They walked away with a 4-1 win over the Knights.
Julian Salcedo spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Nick Wisot, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
St. Monica's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-12. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Rancho Mirage, their record is now 17-12.
Rancho Mirage suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to St. Monica in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Can the Rattlers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
