The Pacifica Mariners will face off against the Aliso Niguel Wolverines at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Pacifica took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Garden Grove an 8-0 shutout. The contest marked the Mariners' most dominant win of the season so far.
Raquel Pineda
| 03/12/26 vs Garden Grove | 10 |
| 03/06/26 vs Canyon | 6 |
| 02/28/26 vs Millikan | 6 |
| 02/26/26 @ Mater Dei | 3 |
| 02/24/26 vs Lakewood | 3 |
Raquel Pineda looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Those ten strikeouts gave her a new career-high. Kenzie Bledl relieved her and did a solid job, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits.
At the plate, Mikella Carey was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Those two runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Leyla Ayres, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Aliso Niguel). They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Rosary Academy on Tuesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Wolverines considering their two-run performance the game before.
Aliso Niguel also got a great performance from Amanda Elkins as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Elkins has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Tessa Cowsill was incredible, firing off two home runs and five RBI while going 3-for-4. Eryn Lamey was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Aliso Niguel always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .586. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Aliso Niguel has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Pacifica, their win bumped their record up to 8-4.
Pacifica couldn't quite get it done against Aliso Niguel in their previous matchup back in March of 2025 as they fell 7-3. Can the Mariners avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
