The Simi Valley Pioneers will head out on the road to square off against the Royal Highlanders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Simi Valley will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
On Tuesday, Simi Valley beat Oak Park 5-1.
Francesca Hall spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
Leah Ortega-Vasquez
| 04/01/25 vs Oak Park | 2 |
| 03/12/25 vs Culver City | 1 |
| 02/27/25 @ Newbury Park | 1 |
| 02/20/25 @ Valencia | 1 |
| 02/18/25 vs Rio Mesa | 1 |
On the hitting side, Simi Valley got a big performance out of Leah Ortega-Vasquez, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. Those two stolen bases gave Ortega-Vasquez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kylie Arellano, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Royal). They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over St. Bonaventure two weeks ago. The Highlanders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Royal also let their pitcher toss all five innings played and she was also dialed-in: Julianna Galbraith gave up only one earned run on four hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, Marilyn Augusta was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run was her first of the season. Hayden Miller was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Royal lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post two or more home runs.
The win made it two in a row for Royal and bumps their season record up to 7-5. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Simi Valley, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-5-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Simi Valley hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Royal struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.2 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Simi Valley couldn't quite get it done against Royal when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 8-4. Can the Pioneers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
