The Del Norte Nighthawks are taking a road trip to challenge the Rancho Buena Vista Longhorns at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Del Norte picked up another tournament win last Monday. They came out on top against Patrick Henry by a score of 5-2. That three run margin sets a new team best for the Nighthawks this season.
Brooklyn Giaime
| 03/10/25 vs Patrick Henry | 2 |
| 03/08/25 vs Rancho Bernardo | 2 |
| 03/04/25 vs Eastlake | 2 |
| 03/01/25 vs Escondido Charter | 0 |
Brooklyn Giaime made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Giaime wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Lainey LLamas, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Taylor Maeda also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, Rancho Buena Vista beat Mt. Carmel 9-4 on Monday.
Like Del Norte, Rancho Buena Vista also got a great game from a two-way player: Danica Nielsen. She struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. That's the most strikeouts Nielsen has posted since back in February of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with three RBI and one triple.
In other batting news, Maizie Smith was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Abigail Niwata, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with one stolen base and one double.
Rancho Buena Vista was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
The win made it two in a row for Del Norte and bumps their season record up to 3-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Rancho Buena Vista, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season.
Del Norte took their victory against Rancho Buena Vista when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 18-4. Does Del Norte have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rancho Buena Vista turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
