Softball Game Preview: Cupertino Pioneers vs. Monta Vista Matadors

Cupertino is 9-1 against Monta Vista since April of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Pioneers will look to defend their home field against the Matadors at 4:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Cupertino's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while Monta Vista has been banged up by ten consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.

Cupertino barely beat Palo Alto the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Pioneers put the hurt on the Vikings with a sharp 12-2 victory on Wednesday. Considering the Pioneers have won nine matches by more than seven runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Jasmyne Llanos spent all five innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on three hits.

Talitha Vaughn

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/07/25 vs Palo Alto	6
02/29/24 vs Evergreen Valley	4
05/05/25 vs El Primero	3
04/30/25 vs Harker	3
04/23/25 vs MacDonald	3

On the hitting side, Talitha Vaughn was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Purani Muthuvedi, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

Cupertino always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .645. They are 7-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, Monta Vista lost 19-1 to Santa Clara on Wednesday.

Monta Vista saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Erin Handelsman, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI. That double marked the first that Handelsman has hit this season.

Cupertino is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs over those games. As for Monta Vista, their loss dropped their record down to 0-9.

Cupertino took their victory against Monta Vista in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 17-1 score. Do the Pioneers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Matadors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.