The Newbury Park Panthers will venture away from home to take on the Rio Mesa Spartans at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Newbury Park is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.7 runs per game this season.
If Newbury Park beats Rio Mesa with 11 runs on Monday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Newbury Park was the clear victors by an 11-5 margin over Moorpark on Saturday. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Musketeers recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Veronica Wasserman
| 03/01/25 vs Moorpark | 1 |
| 03/01/25 @ Santa Barbara | 1 |
| 02/26/25 @ West Ranch | 2 |
| 02/24/25 @ Oxnard | 1 |
| 02/22/25 vs San Marcos | 1 |
| 02/18/25 vs Chaminade | 0 |
Veronica Wasserman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on nine hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Lily Johnson was a standout: she scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. What's more, she posted two doubles, the most she's had since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Skylar Komatsu, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Newbury Park kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Rio Mesa). They walked away with a 12-7 win over Santa Paula on Thursday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Spartans with their most commanding win of the season.
Analia Lopez made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over 4.2 innings pitched. She also allowed three hits, marking her first of the season. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Rio Mesa got a massive performance out of Sophia Roman, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Isabelle Ambriz, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
The victory was the third in a row for Rio Mesa, bringing their record for this year to 3-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Newbury Park, their record is now 7-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Newbury Park hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Rio Mesa struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Newbury Park couldn't quite finish off Rio Mesa in their previous meeting back in March of 2019 and fell 2-0. Can Newbury Park avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
