The Fremont Pathfinders will square off against the Gardena Panthers at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The timing is sure in Fremont's favor as the squad sits on five straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Gardena has been banged up by six consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
Fremont is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 19-3 margin over Inglewood on Saturday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Isaiah Valez made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Valez was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with five RBI and two runs. Those RBI marked the first that he brought in this season.
Ramon Espericueta
| 03/08/25 @ Inglewood | 3 |
| 04/22/24 vs Dorsey | 2 |
| 04/25/24 @ King/Drew | 1 |
| 04/15/24 @ Locke | 1 |
| 02/12/24 vs Hollywood | 1 |
In other batting news, Fremont got a massive performance out of Ramon Espericueta, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Espericueta a new career-high in RBI (three). Pedro Coranado was another key player, scoring four runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Gardena had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They put the hurt on Animo Leadership with a sharp 10-1 win on Friday. Considering the Panthers have won three matchups by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Fremont, Gardena also got a great game from a two-way player: Anthony Garcia. On the mound, he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Garcia was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Francisco Pavon, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. Another player making a difference was Marco Viveros, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Gardena always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .590. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Fremont's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Gardena, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Fremont has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Gardena struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Fremont was able to grind out a solid victory over Gardena in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, winning 6-2. Does Fremont have another victory up their sleeve, or will Gardena turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
