The Santa Maria Saints will head out on the road to square off against the Mira Monte Lions at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Santa Maria has seven straight wins, Mira Monte has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Thursday, Santa Maria beat Nipomo 6-2.
Dominic Martin spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Andrew Rice, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and two RBI. Those stolen bases were his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Julius Medina, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Santa Maria always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Nipomo only posted an OBP of .143.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Mira Monte and South, and South kept the tradition alive. Mira Monte took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of South on Thursday.
Justin Gomez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaiah Velasquez, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Santa Maria pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Mira Monte, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
Friday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Santa Maria hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .372. However, it's not like Mira Monte struggles in that department as they've averaged .316. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Santa Maria took their win against Mira Monte when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 15-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Santa Maria since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
