Quartz Hill has gone a perfect 10-0 against Lancaster recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Royals will head out to face off against the Eagles at 3:15 p.m. Quartz Hill will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Last Tuesday, Quartz Hill beat Eastside 8-3.
Dakota Ponder
| 04/01/25 vs Eastside | 8 |
| 03/18/25 @ Knight | 6 |
| 03/17/25 vs San Fernando | 9 |
| 03/11/25 vs Lancaster | 8 |
| 03/07/25 @ Apple Valley | 7 |
| + 3 more games |
Dakota Ponder spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on six hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Nina Sepulveda was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Emily Cowan, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Sepulveda wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Quartz Hill kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. The Royals are a perfect 7-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Lancaster's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They fell just short of Knight by a score of 11-10.
Elsy Herrera and Jordyn Zinn did some serious damage despite the final result: Herrera went 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Zinn went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple was Herrera's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Nayomi Ordonez, who scored three runs while going 2-for-4.
Quartz Hill's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Lancaster, their loss dropped their record down to 6-3.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Quartz Hill hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .388. However, it's not like Lancaster struggles in that department as they've averaged .429. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Quartz Hill came out on top in a nail-biter against Lancaster in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Royals since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
