The Esperanza Aztecs will challenge the Sunny Hills Lancers at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Sunny Hills took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Esperanza, who comes in off a win.
Having struggled with seven defeats in a row, Esperanza turned things around against Northview on Monday. They walked away with a 6-1 win over the Vikings.
Jackson Tanner spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Esperanza let Adam Tway and Bishop Thomas run wild. Tway got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI, while Thomas went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most runs Thomas has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, Sunny Hills didn't have quite enough to beat Tustin on Saturday and fell 10-9.
Sunny Hills also got a good showing from William Edwards, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Mateo Ramirez was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Another player making a difference was Andre Katayama, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Esperanza's victory bumped their record up to 9-14. As for Sunny Hills, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost six of their last seven contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-19 record this season.
Esperanza came out on top in a nail-biter against Sunny Hills in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 9-7. Do the Aztecs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lancers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
