The La Serna Lancers will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against the Sonora Raiders at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
La Serna is headed into the matchup having just posted their closest win since March 11, 2024 on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Mission Viejo, sneaking past 3-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Lancers.
La Serna got a great performance from Karina Torres as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Aubrie Baruch, who went 2-for-4 with one home run. Isabela Sanchez was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, Sonora put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They put the hurt on Marina with a sharp 8-2 victory.
Bayle Hunnicutt made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Savannah Saiza and Samantha Jaimes did most of the damage at the plate: Saiza went 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI, while Jaimes scored two runs while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Jaimes a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Brooke Piwowar, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Sonora kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now hit at least nine hits every time they've taken the field this season.
La Serna's win was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.2 runs over those games. As for Sonora, their victory bumped their record up to 4-0.
La Serna came out on top in a nail-biter against Sonora in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 5-3. Does La Serna have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sonora turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
