Apple Valley is 8-2 against Serrano since April of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Sun Devils will welcome the Diamondbacks at 3:15 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Apple Valley barely beat Oak Hills the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Sun Devils' pitcher stepped up to hand the Bulldogs a 6-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Brynne Johnson
| 04/01/25 @ Oak Hills | 2 |
| 03/12/25 @ Orange Vista | 2 |
| 03/08/25 vs Highland | 1 |
Brynne Johnson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Johnson wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Liza Lozano, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Apple Valley hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least two strikeouts batters in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last match, Serrano made sure to put some runs up on the board against Hesperia on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over the Scorpions. The victory continues a trend for the Diamondbacks in their matchups with the Scorpions: they've now won six in a row.
Like Apple Valley, Serrano also got a great game from a two-way player: Sam Conan. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Conan was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jamie Motley, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Autumn Pratt, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Apple Valley is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Serrano, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Apple Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. However, it's not like Serrano struggles in that department as they've averaged .490. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Apple Valley was able to grind out a solid victory over Serrano in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 8-3. Will the Sun Devils repeat their success, or do the Diamondbacks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
