The Sweetwater Red Devils will head out on the road to face off against the Otay Ranch Mustangs at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Sweetwater came up short against Mater Dei Catholic on Monday, falling 22-6. The Red Devils haven't had much luck with the Crusaders recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Daniel Vidal
| 03/20/25 vs Canyon Hills | 4 |
| 04/03/25 vs Hoover | 3 |
| 04/14/25 @ Mater Dei Catholic | 2 |
| 04/04/25 @ Crawford | 2 |
| 04/11/25 vs Olympian | 1 |
| + 1 more games |
Daniel Vidal was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He is becoming a predictor of Sweetwater's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 3-1 (and 5-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Jayden Rodriguez, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Otay Ranch, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They were the clear victors by a 9-0 margin over Olympian on Monday. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Otay Ranch also got a great performance from Fernando Tovalin as he didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. Tovalin has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Jake Medina and Carlos Martinez did most of the damage at the plate: Medina scored a run while going 2-for-3, while Martinez scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Aidan Galicia was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Otay Ranch's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Sweetwater, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-8.
Sweetwater's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's game. The Red Devils have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Otay Ranch, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Sweetwater continue to outrun the ball?
Sweetwater couldn't quite finish off Otay Ranch when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 6-4. Can the Red Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
