(Team Cantu’s player Jose Garza at the plate. September 23, 2026. Picture by Constancio Martinez Jr)
By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR.
Special to the PRESS
Week 5 of the men’s softball league is in the books, with the top teams continuing to solidify their positions near the top of the standings while the rest of the league battles for better playoff seeding.
Just like last season, Cantu’s remains the team to beat for now, thanks to a combination of strong fielding and consistent hitting.
In their matchup against Hopper Haus, Cantu’s wasted little time establishing control, jumping out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
In the second inning, Chalio Rosales added another homerun to his resume as Cantu’s extended their lead to 7-0. The offensive attack continued as Cantu’s added several more hits, pushing the score to 11-0.
In the top of the third, Hopper Haus finally got on the scoreboard when a triple brought in their first run of the game. Two batters later, a hard-hit single drove in another run, cutting the deficit to 11-2.
Cantu’s, apparently not too happy about seeing its shutout disappear, quickly answered with an offensive barrage. The hits kept coming as Cantu’s went on a hitting carousel, pilling up the runs and extending its lead to 21-2.
Hopper Haus put together its best inning of the game as their patience on the plate began to pay off. A series of walks helped generate more offense, allowing Hopper Haus to add five runs and cut into Cantu’s lead, making it a 21-6 game.
Although Hopper Haus added one more run in the 5th inning, it wasn’t enough as Cantu’s took the game 21-7.
Other scores from the night include: Powerhouse over the Hitmen, 14-13, Bandidos over Coming in Hot, 20-11, and Brew Crew beat Ballahollics 8-6.
After sweeping the night’s games, Cantu’s sits with an undefeated record at 8-0. Right behind them in the overall standings is Kings at 7-3, followed by Powerhouse, Bandidos, and Hitmen who are all tied at 6-4.
In the middle of the pack are Swingers, and Coming in Hot, both at 4-5 with Brew Crew close behind at 4-6.
(3-7) Hopper Haus, (1-7) Spicy Cats, and (1-9) Star Playaz round out the standings.