The Pinole Valley Spartans are taking a road trip to challenge the Novato Hornets at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Pinole Valley is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
On Friday, Pinole Valley was able to grind out a solid win over Albany, taking the game 6-1.
Ivan Rojo
| 04/18/25 vs El Cerrito | 3 |
| 03/28/25 @ Vanden | 3 |
| 04/25/25 vs Albany | 1 |
| 03/05/25 @ Encinal | 1 |
Ivan Rojo spent all 7.2 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up 15 Ks. Pinole Valley is 2-1 when Rojo allows one or fewer earned runs, but 7-8-1 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Rey Malan, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI. That home run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kimoni Lake, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Pinole Valley hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Novato was not the first on the board on Thursday, but they got there more often. They walked away with a 7-3 victory over Branson. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Hornets.
Novato also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Griffin Vorhaus gave up just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits and racked up nine Ks. Vorhaus has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Julian Oliver was incredible, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.
Novato pushed their record up to 10-8 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Pinole Valley, the win got them back to even at 9-9-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pinole Valley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Novato struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Pinole Valley skirted past Novato 7-6 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Spartans since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
