The Mar Vista Mariners will head out on the road to square off against the Kearny Komets at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mar Vista's pitching crew has only allowed 4.1 runs per game this season, so Kearny's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Mar Vista barely beat Hoover the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Mar Vista put the hurt on Hoover with a sharp 18-1 victory on Saturday. That looming 18-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Mariners yet this season.
Noah Esqueda
| 03/22/25 vs Hoover | 2 |
| 03/01/25 @ San Dieguito Academy | 1 |
| 02/26/25 vs Otay Ranch | 1 |
| 02/24/25 vs Foothills Christian | 1 |
| 04/11/24 @ Southwest SD | 1 |
Peter Thomas and Noah Esqueda made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Thomas pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Esqueda pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Thomas also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Mar Vista is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-5 otherwise. At bat, Thomas scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances, while Esqueda scored two runs while going 1-for-2. The dominant performance also gave Esqueda a new career-high in RBI (two).
In other batting news, Daniel Snow and Bryan Espinoza did most of the damage at the plate: Snow scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances, while Espinoza scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Those three runs gave Snow a new career-high. Jayden Tillman was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
Mar Vista always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, the third road matchup was the charm for Kearny, as they earned their first away win of the season. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 victory over Mount Miguel on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Komets have posted since May 17, 2024.
Ansel Eaton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits.
At the plate, Kearny let DJ Martinez and Nicolas Hembera run wild. Martinez scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2, while Hembera scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
The victory got Mar Vista back to even at 5-5. As for Kearny, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.
Kearny's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Mar Vista has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Kearny, though, as they've been averaging only 3.8 strikeouts. Will Mar Vista keep running through batters, or will Kearny buck the trend?
Mar Vista came out on top in a nail-biter against Kearny in their previous meeting back in May of 2018, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mar Vista since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
