The Mesa Jackrabbits will challenge the Valley Vista Monsoon at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Mesa will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.
Having struggled with nine losses in a row dating back to last season, Mesa turned things around against Maryvale on Monday. They never let the Panthers get on the board and left with a 15-0 victory. The Jackrabbits' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Carlos Otero made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in earned runs (zero). He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Gerardo Sanchez was incredible, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Stetson Crewse, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3.
Mesa was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .533. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Valley Vista unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They lost 13-7 to Gila Ridge on Monday. The Monsoon's defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak dating back to last season.
Adrian Montoya and Diego Munoz stepped up to the plate in a big way. Montoya went 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base, while Munoz scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Elias Garza, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-3.
Mesa's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Valley Vista, their loss dropped their record down to 0-1.
Mesa suffered a grim 9-2 defeat to Valley Vista in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Will Mesa have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
