Marcos de Niza defended its home field against local rival McClintock on Tuesday night.

In the first game either team was able to play in nearly a week due to weather, the Padres rode the hot hand of senior ace A.J. Montiel past the Chargers.

Although the final score was 4-2, Montiel was not responsible for the pair of scores. Montiel started both games the Padres have played this season and has yet to allow an earned run in his 12 innings of work.

Marcos de Niza coach Matthew Courtney was very happy with the way his veteran right-hander pitched. Courtney said that Montiel’s performance throughout the night gave him confidence to call a more aggressive game.

“That kid can pick a spot and he can throw it wherever," Courtney said. "We’re throwing 3-1 curveballs, 3-0 curveballs, we’re throwing anything I want.” 

Last year, Montiel went 4-1 in his 10 appearances and led his team with a 2.53 ERA.

Montiel said he felt confident on the mound Tuesday night, and knew his keys to success.

“Keeping my composure and throwing fastballs,” he said. “For the majority [my curveball] was working [too].”

Although his pitching was a constant throughout the game, defense and driving in runners was a different story for the Padres.

“Defense, we’ve got more work to do,” Courtney said.

The two runs that were allowed by the Padres were both given up in the fourth inning because of a pair of unforced errors. The game became knotted at 2-2 going into the bottom of the inning when Courtney gathered and spoke to his team before their turn at bat.

The Padres threatened in the bottom of the inning but couldn’t drive in a run with the bases loaded and only one out.

The bottom of the fifth yielded three more runners left on base, however a slew of walks and errors plated another pair of runs for the Padres.

Chargers coach Larry Patterson said the walks were what hurt his team the most.

“Any time you give a team like this seven free baserunners, you’re going to end up paying the price,” Patterson said.

After being given back the lead, Montiel recorded four strike outs in the final six outs of the game to give the Padres their second win and the Chargers another loss.

Although the defense was not at its best, Padres second baseman Ethan Galetti gave the fans a play to marvel at and instill hope in their glove work. With one out in the top of the seventh, only a batter after he allowed a runner on with an error, Galetti tracked down a fly ball hit shallow into right center field and reeled it in with a Willie Mays-style, over-the-shoulder catch that brought the crowd to their feet.

Prior to the game Tuesday, the Padres were scheduled to participate in the Adam Donnenfield 2019 Tournament which consisted of teams such as Brophy Prep, Kofa, Tucson and Westwood high schools. The Padres were only able to play Brophy with the remaining games being cancelled on account of rain.

A week of rest gave Courtney the chance to put Montiel back on the mound and once again pitch his team to a win. The Padres (2-0) will not be able to rely on his arm in their next game against the Tempe Buffaloes (1-1), their other crosstown rival, due to a quick turnaround. The two teams will face off at 4 p.m. Thursday at Tempe. The Padres will look to build off last year’s success against the Buffaloes, beating them twice by an aggregate score of 26-0.