Pinole Valley is 8-2 against Saint Mary since April of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Spartans will welcome the Panthers at 4:30 p.m. Pinole Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Pinole Valley is headed into Wednesday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Monday. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 4-3 heartbreaker at the hands of Salesian College Preparatory. Spartans fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Pride since on Monday.
Mckenzie Ortega
| 04/14/25 vs Salesian College Preparatory | 11 |
| 04/10/25 @ Analy | 12 |
| 04/03/25 @ Alhambra | 8 |
| 04/01/25 vs Concord | 8 |
| 03/28/25 vs Bishop O'Dowd | 7 |
| + 9 more games |
Mckenzie Ortega spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four runs (all of which were unearned) on nine hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Ayla Serrano made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Saint Mary's beat De Anza 4-1 on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Dons: they've now won eight in a row.
Saint Mary's also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Isabelle Koehn gave up only one earned run on five hits. Those hits were Koehn's first of the season.
On the hitting side, Abigail Ambrose and Sophia Detwiler did most of the damage at the plate: Ambrose scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-2, while Detwiler scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave Detwiler a new career-high. Another player making a difference was London Crawford, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Saint Mary's win bumped their record up to 4-6. As for Pinole Valley, their defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 8-6.
Saint Mary's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Pinole Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Saint Mary's, though, as they've been averaging only 2.8 strikeouts. Will Pinole Valley keep running through batters, or will the Panthers buck the trend?
Pinole Valley took their victory against Saint Mary's in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-3 score. Do the Spartans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
