Banning is 2-8 against San Pedro since May of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Pilots are taking a road trip to take on the Pirates at 3:15 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Banning's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Narbonne 18-0. The result was nothing new for the Pilots, who have now won five contests by nine runs or more so far this season.
Lilly Devora tossed a big game, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched.
At the plate, Sophie Cuadra was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with five RBI, three runs, and two doubles. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024. Ari Dominguez also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Banning kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. They are 5-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, San Pedro had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.2 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Saturday. They put the hurt on the Mustangs with a sharp 13-2 victory. With that win, the Pirates brought their scoring average up to 6.3 runs per game.
San Pedro also got a great performance from Caroline Baker as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, San Pedro let Kaitlyn Borges and Dahlia Davila run wild. Borges scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3, while Davila went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Brianna Rodela was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
San Pedro pushed their record up to 9-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Banning, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 6-10.
Monday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Banning hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .398. However, it's not like San Pedro struggles in that department as they've averaged .319. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Banning skirted past San Pedro 4-3 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Pilots repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
