After both having extra time off, the Ojai Valley Spuds and the Animo Leadership Aztec Eagles will shake off the rust and duke it out at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Ojai Valley is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last nine games.
Two weeks ago, Ojai Valley got the win against Sequoyah School by a conclusive 16-3. The result was nothing new for the Spuds, who have now won seven games by nine runs or more so far this season.
Keiran Walsh
| 05/03/25 vs Sequoyah School | 3 |
| 04/15/25 @ Hillcrest Christian | 2 |
| 03/04/25 @ Villanova Prep | 2 |
| 05/01/25 vs Hillcrest Christian | 1 |
Keiran Walsh made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three). He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. He is on a roll when it comes to RBI, as he's now brought in three or more in each of the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, Ojai Valley let Jay Galgano and Archer Moller run wild. Galgano went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Moller went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Moller has become a key player for Ojai Valley: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 3-4 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Renji Hanai, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Ojai Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Animo Leadership fell victim to Bishop Montgomery and their airtight pitching crew two weeks ago. They lost 17-0 to the Knights. While getting shut out isn't ideal, the Aztec Eagles haven't been shut out since back in March.
Ojai Valley pushed their record up to 10-4 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.8 runs over those games. As for Animo Leadership, their defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 13-13.
