Santa Ana Valley and Orange are an even 3-3 against one another since March of 2016, but likely not for long. The Falcons will square off against the Panthers at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Santa Ana Valley will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
Last Friday, Santa Ana Valley got the win against Loara by a conclusive 10-1. The result was nothing new for the Falcons, who have now won seven games by nine runs or more so far this season.
Espy Guerrero spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
Ashley Castor
| 04/04/25 vs Loara | 4 |
| 02/13/24 @ Costa Mesa | 3 |
| 02/13/24 @ Costa Mesa | 3 |
| 04/02/25 @ Estancia | 1 |
| 03/07/25 @ Avalon | 1 |
At the plate, Ashley Castor was a standout: she went 1-for-2 with one home run and four RBI. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Yareli Sanchez, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Orange hadn't done well against La Quinta recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Panthers narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Aztecs 3-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.
Orange also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Scarlett Poitra gave up only one earned run on four hits and racked up 12 Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on LeAnn Velasquez, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Anabelle Alvarado, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Santa Ana Valley pushed their record up to 9-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Orange, the victory was their first at home , bumping their record up to 3-9.
Orange's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Santa Ana Valley has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Orange, though, as they've been averaging 9.2 hits. Given Santa Ana Valley's sizable advantage in that area, the Panthers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Santa Ana Valley was able to grind out a solid win over Orange in their previous matchup two weeks ago, winning 7-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
