The Tulare Western Mustangs will challenge the Pioneer Valley Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a five-game winning streak alive.
Tulare Western had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the nine-run drubbing they dealt Washington Union on Tuesday. Tulare Western was the clear victor by a 13-4 margin over Washington Union. Considering the Mustangs have won four games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ky Taylor tossed a big game, tossing 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits.
At the plate, Tulare Western got a massive performance out of Alivea Salcedo, who scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances. That's the most runs Salcedo has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Janmarie Topalian, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Tulare Western always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Washington Union only posted an OBP of .333.
Meanwhile, Pioneer Valley hadn't done well against Paso Robles recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Pioneer Valley walked away with an 8-3 victory over Paso Robles.
Ciena Acosta spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kianna Real, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Natalia Rocha was another key player, scoring three runs while going 1-for-3.
Tulare Western pushed their record up to 7-2-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Pioneer Valley, their win bumped their record up to 8-4.
