Carson baseball defeats Banning to move into first place in the Marine League

Sophomore pitcher Patrick Volaski stifles Banning's bats as Carson's offense takes advantage of opportunities

Mar. 21, 2026 at 5:24am

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The Carson baseball team defeated Banning 6-4 in a key early-season Marine League matchup. Sophomore pitcher Patrick Volaski pitched six-plus strong innings, and Carson's offense capitalized on Banning miscues to build an early lead. The win moves Carson into first place in the league standings.

Why it matters

This game was an important early-season showdown between two of the top teams in the Marine League. The win puts Carson in the driver's seat in the league race, while Banning will need to rebound to stay in contention.

The details

Carson jumped out to a 4-0 lead through the first three innings, taking advantage of walks, hit-by-pitches, and Banning defensive miscues. Sophomore pitcher Patrick Volaski kept Banning's bats in check for most of the game, though he ran into trouble in the fifth and seventh innings. Carson's bullpen was able to close out the win despite Banning's late rally.

  • The game was played on Friday, March 20, 2026.
  • Carson jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

The players

Patrick Volaski

Carson's sophomore pitcher who stifled Banning's bats for most of the game.

Michael Kunipo-Aguirre

Carson's head coach who knew this was a big early-season game for his team.

Noah Sandoval

Carson's leadoff hitter who scored two runs and had an RBI single.

Tom Louviere

Banning's head coach who felt his team didn't execute as well as Carson.

Isaac Martinez

Banning player who hit a two-run single in the seventh inning to cut Carson's lead to 6-4.

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What they’re saying

“We knew this was going to either set us up for success down the road or that we might have to depend on someone else getting the job done. We knew it was going to be a big game, and we knew they weren't going to give it to us. We had to go earn it.”

— Michael Kunipo-Aguirre, Carson head coach

“My approach was just to throw strikes and let my defense work behind me. I know we have a pretty solid defense.”

— Patrick Volaski, Carson pitcher

“We have to be more aggressive at the plate. We have to swing the bat and we've talked about that all year. That's our big question mark. We can play defense and we've got pitching.”

— Tom Louviere, Banning head coach

What’s next

The two teams will meet again on April 10th in the second game of their Marine League series.

The takeaway

This game highlighted the early-season strength of the Carson baseball team, who were able to capitalize on Banning's mistakes and get a key league win. The loss puts Banning in a tougher position in the Marine League race, but there is still plenty of baseball left to be played.