Baseball Game Preview: South El Monte Eagles vs. Nogales Nobles

The South El Monte Eagles will head out to take on the Nogales Nobles at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. South El Monte will be strutting in after a win while Nogales will be coming in after a loss.

South El Monte came out on top against El Monte on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run first inning. The Eagles never let the Lions get on the board and left with an 11-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Eagles.

Emiliano Gonzalez made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2025. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Elijah Benavidez, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and one RBI. Gabriel Canchola was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

South El Monte hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as El Monte struck out nine times.

Meanwhile, Nogales came up short against Sierra Vista on Friday and fell 8-4.

Carlos Cruz made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and fired off four doubles and three runs while going 4-for-4. He has become a key player for Nogales: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least three hits, but 7-8 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Brendon Durbin, who went 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

Nogales' defeat dropped their record down to 11-9. As for South El Monte, their record is now 15-10.

South El Monte couldn't quite finish off Nogales when the teams last played back in February of 2025 and fell 2-0. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.