The Chula Vista Spartans will take on the High Tech SD Storm at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Chula Vista will be strutting in after a win while High Tech SD will be coming in after a defeat.
Chula Vista took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Morse a 5-0 shutout.
The result came thanks to Jose De La Cruz's shutout, as he gave up just four hits and racked up seven Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Chula Vista is 2-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 2-4 otherwise.
Brandon Lucero
| 03/19/26 vs Morse | 3 |
| 03/17/26 @ Hoover | 2 |
| 05/12/25 @ Southwest SD | 2 |
| 04/29/25 @ Castle Park | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Olympian | 2 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brandon Lucero, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Julian Martinez also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Chula Vista hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Morse struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, High Tech SD came up short against Hilltop on Thursday and fell 8-3.
Liam Watters made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Junior Montes, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Chula Vista's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for High Tech SD, their loss dropped their record down to 4-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Chula Vista has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like High Tech SD struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Chula Vista got the 'W' in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 against High Tech SD by a conclusive 15-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Spartans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
