South Pasadena, CA — The South Pasadena Varsity Tigers delivered an impressive performance on Thursday, defeating the San Marino Varsity Titans 11–3 behind a standout game from Phil Malatesta. Malatesta led the offensive charge, collecting three hits in four at-bats. His biggest moment came in the sixth inning when he launched a home run to left field. He also added singles in the second and fourth innings, helping spark the Tigers’ offense throughout the game. After a tight contest through the early innings, South Pasadena broke things wide open in the sixth with an incredible 10-run rally. Julian Barnes, Anthony Ortiz, and Raju got things started by loading the bases before Isaiah Esquivel and Kory How each drew walks to bring in runs. Tate Mendoza followed with a clutch single that scored two more. Malatesta then delivered the highlight of the inning with a three-run homer to left. The Tigers weren’t finished yet—Aaron Kawasaki tripled to right field, Barnes doubled to bring him home, and Ortiz capped the inning with a home run to center field. San Marino struck first in the top of the first inning on a single by Charlie Danenhauer, and later briefly took a 2–1 lead in the fifth on a fielder’s choice by Miles Morning. South Pasadena tied the game in the fourth when Ortiz drove a double off the wall in center field. On the mound, Cody Robinson started for the Tigers, allowing two runs on three hits over 4⅓ innings while striking out two. JT Lu-Morris started for San Marino and struck out seven over 4⅔ innings. Ishan Trachtenberg came in to pitch a scoreless inning, and Phil Malatesta closed things out for South Pasadena, giving up only one run in the last inning in relief. The Tigers finished with 10 hits in the game. Barnes recorded two hits, while Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. Malatesta’s 3-for-4 performance with a homer highlighted a strong team effort. South Pasadena also played solid defense, turning two double plays. Danenhauer led San Marino with two hits, while Aldo Cali, Morning, and Danenhauer each drove in a run. With the win, the Tigers carry strong momentum into their next matchup against La Cañada on Tuesday.