Baseball Recap: Marcos de Niza Takes a Loss

If Marcos de Niza was riding high fresh off their 14-0 takedown of Moon Valley on Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Padres fell just short of the Cactus Shadows Falcons by a score of 5-3 on Saturday. The Padres haven't had much luck with the Falcons recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.

Esteban Murillo

Hits Against

04/11/26 @ Cactus Shadows	2
04/01/26 vs Mesquite	1
03/26/26 @ St. Mary's	2
03/16/26 vs Coconino	2

Esteban Murillo was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up five earned runs off only two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one home run.

Murillo wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Modesto Lopez, who went 2-for-4 with one double.

Marcos de Niza's loss dropped their record down to 8-12. As for Cactus Shadows, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 15-3.

Looking ahead, Marcos de Niza will face off against Saguaro at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The Padres' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Sabercats have averaged an impressive 7.4 runs per game this season. As for Cactus Shadows, they will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against St. Mary's at 6:00 p.m. The Falcons' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Knights have averaged an impressive 9.5 runs per game this season.