The Santa Paula Cardinals will take on the Newbury Park Panthers at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Santa Paula has three straight victories, Newbury Park has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
If Santa Paula beats Newbury Park with 12 runs on Monday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Cardinals put the hurt on Hueneme with a sharp 12-2 win on Tuesday. Considering the Cardinals have won seven matchups by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ayla Rodriguez
| 04/08/25 vs Hueneme | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Hueneme | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ Channel Islands | 1 |
Santa Paula got a great performance from Ayla Rodriguez as she struck out six batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). Rodriguez has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Abby Ibarra was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Anaya Davis, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run.
Santa Paula was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .486. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .308 or higher in 12 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Newbury Park's offense. They lost 15-0 to Agoura on Thursday. The game snapped a strange streak: the last four times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Santa Paula's victory bumped their record up to 7-8. As for Newbury Park, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-9.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Santa Paula hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Newbury Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Santa Paula suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Newbury Park in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Will the Cardinals have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
