The Holtville Vikings are taking a road trip to challenge the Chula Vista Spartans at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Holtville is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.
Holtville made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Brawley, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Vikings fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 6-4 on Thursday.
Holtville saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Matthew Pacheco, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Chula Vista came out on top against Morse last Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run sixth inning. The Spartans were the clear victors by a 10-2 margin over the Tigers. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Spartans.
Brandon Lucero made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Chula Vista is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-6-2 otherwise. Lucero was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one run and one double.
In other pitching news, Jorge Lopez tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Pablo Alvarado was incredible, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Gomez, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Chula Vista always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .561. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March of 2024.
Chula Vista's record now sits at 8-6-2. As for Holtville, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-12.
Holtville might still be hurting after the 9-2 loss they got from Chula Vista in their previous matchup back in May of 2017. Can the Vikings avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
