The Gardena Panthers are taking a road trip to take on the Fremont Pathfinders at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Gardena made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Animo Leadership, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Gardena put the hurt on Animo Leadership with a sharp 10-1 win on Friday. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matches by six runs or more this season.
Anthony Garcia was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Garcia was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one triple and two RBI.
Francisco Pavon
| 03/07/25 vs Animo Leadership | 3 |
| 03/01/25 @ Animo Leadership | 1 |
| 02/21/25 vs Jordan | 1 |
| 02/19/25 vs Santee | 1 |
| 04/29/24 @ Rancho Dominguez | 2 |
| + 2 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Francisco Pavon, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Marco Viveros, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Gardena was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Animo Leadership only posted a batting average of .192.
Meanwhile, Fremont put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Inglewood 19-3. That looming 19-3 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Pathfinders yet this season.
Like Gardena, Fremont also got a great game from a two-way player: Isaiah Valez. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Valez was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with five RBI and two runs. Those RBI marked the first that he brought in this season.
In other batting news, Ramon Espericueta was a standout: he scored four runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. He also brought in three RBI, marking his first of the season. Pedro Coranado was another key player, scoring four runs while going 2-for-3.
Fremont's record is now 4-0. As for Gardena, the victory snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 3-3 record.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Gardena has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Fremont struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Gardena couldn't quite get it done against Fremont when the teams last played back in March of 2024 as they fell 6-2. Can Gardena avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
