The Sun Valley Magnet Pioneers will take on the Valley Oaks CES Vanguards at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Sun Valley Magnet sitting on four straight wins and Valley Oaks CES on three.
Last Friday, Sun Valley Magnet earned an 8-3 victory over Lakeview Charter. That's two games straight that the Pioneers have won by exactly five runs.
Diego Loredo
| 03/28/25 vs Lakeview Charter | 1 |
| 03/24/25 vs Triumph Charter | 1 |
| 03/20/25 vs Valor Academy | 3 |
| 03/17/25 @ Bert Corona Charter | 2 |
Diego Loredo was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Sun Valley Magnet is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 0-3 otherwise. Loredo was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played.
In other batting news, Emerson Benitez was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing three bases. Manuel Marquez was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Valley Oaks CES hadn't done well against Discovery recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Valley Oaks CES was the clear victor by a 22-14 margin over Discovery. Fans of the Vanguards have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Like Sun Valley Magnet, Valley Oaks CES also got a great game from a two-way player: Justin Rendon. He struck out 12 batters over 4.1 innings while giving up six earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Rendon was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Miguel Hernandez was a standout: he scored four runs and stole nine bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Alex Flores, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with two stolen bases.
Valley Oaks CES was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .417 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Sun Valley Magnet's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-3. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Valley Oaks CES, their win bumped their record up to 3-0.
Wednesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Sun Valley Magnet hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .313. However, it's not like Valley Oaks CES struggles in that department as they've averaged .516. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Sun Valley Magnet's way against Valley Oaks CES in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Sun Valley Magnet made off with a 16-1 victory. Does Sun Valley Magnet have another victory up their sleeve, or will Valley Oaks CES turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
