The Simi Valley Pioneers will face off against the Thousand Oaks Lancers at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Simi Valley sitting on three straight wins and Thousand Oaks on four.
Simi Valley took a 11-run defeat the last time they faced off against St. Bonaventure, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Simi Valley skirted past St. Bonaventure 7-5. While the Pioneers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Francesca Hall spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on 11 hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
Aurora Zepeda
| 03/03/25 @ St. Bonaventure | 4 |
| 02/17/25 vs Santa Paula | 3 |
| 03/26/24 @ Buena | 2 |
| 04/13/24 vs Saugus | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Aurora Zepeda, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Kylie Arellano, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Thousand Oaks hadn't done well against Royal recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Thousand Oaks was the clear victors by a 14-4 margin over Royal. The result was nothing new for the Lancers, who have now won three contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Morgan Casillas and Olivia LePage did most of the damage at the plate: Casillas scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while LePage went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple was LePage's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Madison Jauregui, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Thousand Oaks was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .483. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Royal only posted a batting average of .320.
Simi Valley's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Thousand Oaks, their win bumped their record up to 4-0.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Simi Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .363. However, it's not like Thousand Oaks struggles in that department as they've averaged .415. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Simi Valley might still be hurting after the 8-0 loss they got from Thousand Oaks when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will Simi Valley have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
