The College of Marin baseball team opened their 2025 season with a two-game series against Diablo Valley College. The Mariners split the games, earning a hard-fought victory at home on January 24 before falling short on the road on January 25.
The Mariners began their season at home with a 7-4 victory over the Vikings, powered by timely hitting and solid pitching. Despite a rocky start, with the Vikings scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, the Mariners quickly responded to turn the tide.
In the bottom of the first, Adrian Ruiz’s RBI single brought Wyatt Davis home to cut the deficit to 3-1. The Mariners’ momentum surged in the second inning when Davis hit a two-run double, scoring Dante Caiati and Kisho Li Kircher to tie the game at 3-3. Ruiz followed up with another RBI single, scoring Jacob Walley to give Marin a 4-3 lead. The Mariners never looked back.
Marin’s pitching staff, led by Anthony Del Prete, found their rhythm after the first inning. Del Prete and reliever Marcos Tolliver held the Vikings scoreless for six straight innings, allowing the Mariners to extend their lead. A wild pitch and RBI hits from Logan Fiene and Danil Wells added insurance runs, securing the 7-4 victory. Tolliver earned the win, while Samuel Schnitzer closed out the ninth inning to pick up his first save of the season.
The following day, the Mariners traveled to Pleasant Hill for the second game of the series but fell just short in a tightly contested 5-4 loss.
Once again, the Vikings jumped out to an early lead, scoring one run in the first and another in the second to go up 2-0. The Mariners responded in the fourth inning with back-to-back RBI singles from Wyatt Davis and Adrian Ruiz, tying the game at 2-2. However, Diablo Valley reclaimed the lead in the fifth inning and extended it with two runs in the sixth.
Trailing 5-2 entering the seventh, Marin fought back with a pair of runs. Alexander Cruz’s RBI double brought Adrian Ruiz home, and a sacrifice fly by Caden Sta Maria cut the deficit to 5-4. Despite mounting pressure in the late innings, the Mariners’ bats couldn’t overcome the Vikings’ pitching, and they ultimately fell one run short.
However, Mariners pitchers Bruno Condit and David Skaggs combined for eight strikeouts over six innings.
Looking Ahead
The Mariners will look to build on their opening series as they prepare to host the College of San Mateo Bulldogs on Tuesday, January 28 at 1:30 PM in Kentfield, CA. With solid performances from players like Wyatt Davis and Adrian Ruiz, the Mariners aim to carry their momentum into the next matchup.