The Orange Vista Coyotes will square off against the Liberty Bison at 3:15 a.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Orange Vista sitting on five straight victories and Liberty on seven.
Orange Vista took a 12-run defeat the last time they faced off against Valley View, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Coyotes won by a run and slipped past the Eagles 10-9. Orange Vista's win was all the more impressive since the Eagles were averaging only 1.94 runs allowed on the season.
Jayla Holley
| 04/08/25 vs Valley View | 3 |
| 04/01/25 @ Paloma Valley | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Paloma Valley | 1 |
| 02/27/25 vs Indio | 1 |
Orange Vista let Jayla Holley and Lina Robles run wild. Holley went a perfect 3-for-3 with three doubles and three RBI, while Robles went 3-for-4 with five RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave Holley a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Makayla Overton, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
They weren't the only one making solid contact: Orange Vista kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Liberty sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 victory over Poly on Tuesday. That's two games straight that the Bison have won by just one run.
Janessa Guigliano spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Yasmine Lopez and Attiana Thompson did most of the damage at the plate: Lopez went 1-for-4 with one home run, while Thompson scored a run while going 3-for-3.
Liberty's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-7. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Orange Vista, their record is now 10-5.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Orange Vista hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've averaged .367. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Orange Vista was able to grind out a solid win over Liberty in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 4-1. Do the Coyotes have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bison turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
