The Bonita Vista Barons will head out to take on the Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Bonita Vista 1.8, Mater Dei Catholic 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Bonita Vista will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Monday, then bounced right back against Otay Ranch on Wednesday. The Barons were the clear victors by a 10-4 margin over the Mustangs. Considering the Barons have won nine contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Danica Aboytes made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 15 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
Natalie Gonzalez
| 04/30/25 vs Otay Ranch | 0 |
| 04/24/25 vs Patrick Henry | 2 |
| 04/17/25 @ Santana | 1 |
In other pitching news, Natalie Gonzalez tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 5.1 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Leah Letuli, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Kianna Balajadia-Brooks, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Mater Dei Catholic came tearing into Wednesday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 5-2 win over the Titans.
Arri Romero spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up ten Ks.
At the plate, Lilia Alpuche was excellent, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Bonita Vista's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Mater Dei Catholic, their record is now 18-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Bonita Vista hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Mater Dei Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Bonita Vista might still be hurting after the 9-1 defeat they got from Mater Dei Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Barons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
