The Mark Keppel Aztecs will venture away from home to square off against the El Monte Lions at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Mark Keppel has three straight wins, El Monte has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Thursday, Mark Keppel got the win against Montebello by a conclusive 11-1. Considering the Aztecs have won three contests by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Robyn Guitron made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). What's more, she gave up only zero walks, the fewest she's had since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. She is also on a roll when it comes to RBI, as she's now brought in three or more in each of the last three games she's played.
Nevaeh Saldivar
| 03/20/25 vs Montebello | 5 |
| 04/12/24 vs Montebello | 4 |
| 04/08/24 @ Glendora | 4 |
| 03/12/24 @ Montebello | 4 |
| 03/14/24 @ San Gabriel | 3 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nevaeh Saldivar, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and one double. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Avigail Navarro also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Mark Keppel hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, El Monte didn't have quite enough to beat Southlands Christian on Tuesday and fell 9-8. That's two games in a row now that the Lions have lost by just one run.
Sophia Herrera was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-4 with five RBI and one run. Leilani Diaz was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Mark Keppel's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for El Monte, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
El Monte's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mark Keppel has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.9 hits per game. It's a different story for El Monte, though, as they've been averaging 12.2 hits. Given Mark Keppel's sizable advantage in that area, El Monte will need to find a way to close that gap. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
