Softball Game Preview: Royal Highlanders vs. Simi Valley Pioneers

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Previous Games

04/04/25 - Home	5-3 W
04/12/24 - Away	8-4 W
03/22/24 - Home	5-1 W
04/11/23 - Away	6-3 W
03/03/23 - Home	5-8 L
+ 5 more games

Royal has gone 8-2 against Simi Valley recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Highlanders will face off against the Pioneers at 6:00 p.m. Simi Valley took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Royal, who comes in off a win.

Royal took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over Santa Paula.

Reese Dugar spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on nine hits.

At the plate, Lidija Faubert was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024.

Meanwhile, Simi Valley unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of Moorpark by a score of 5-3.

Simi Valley also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Parker Ong gave up five earned runs on nine hits. Ong has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Simi Valley saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Leah Ortega-Vasquez, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

Royal's victory bumped their record up to 12-9. As for Simi Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 16-8-1.

Royal skirted past Simi Valley 5-3 in their previous meeting back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Highlanders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.