The Thousand Oaks Lancers will head out to square off against the Simi Valley Pioneers at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Thousand Oaks will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Thousand Oaks lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Royal, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's matchup. Thousand Oaks was the clear victors by a 14-4 margin over Royal on Wednesday. The Lancers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by six runs or more this season.
Morgan Casillas
| 02/26/25 vs Royal | 2 |
| 04/06/24 vs Heritage Christian | 1 |
| 04/06/24 @ Heritage Christian | 1 |
| 03/21/24 vs Calabasas | 1 |
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. The dominant performance also gave Casillas a new career-high in RBI (two). Another player making a difference was Madison Jauregui, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Thousand Oaks hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Simi Valley was not the first on the board on Monday, but they got there more often. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 win over St. Bonaventure. That's two games straight that the Pioneers have won by exactly two runs.
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.
At the plate, Aurora Zepeda was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. That home run was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kylie Arellano, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-3.
Thousand Oaks pushed their record up to 4-0 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Simi Valley, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 5-1.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Thousand Oaks hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .415. However, it's not like Simi Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .363. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Thousand Oaks took their victory against Simi Valley in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 8-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Thousand Oaks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
