Newbury Park and Royal are an even 4-4 against one another since February of 2019, but likely not for long. The Newbury Park Panthers will welcome the Royal Highlanders at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Newbury Park barely beat Righetti the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Newbury Park put the hurt on Righetti with a sharp 9-3 victory on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won six games by six runs or more so far this season.
Krista Danklefs looked comfortable as she pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. What's more, she gave up only zero walks, the fewest she's had over her last eight matches.
Janessa Gutierrez
| 03/07/25 vs Righetti | 4 |
| 03/19/24 vs Agoura | 3 |
| 03/01/25 vs Moorpark | 2 |
| 03/01/25 @ Santa Barbara | 2 |
| 02/27/25 vs Simi Valley | 2 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Janessa Gutierrez, who scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Skylar Komatsu, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Royal entered their tilt with West Ranch on Tuesday with two consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with three. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Wildcats.
Julianna Galbraith spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on seven hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Skylar Gapol was incredible, scoring two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. She also hit a double, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Mikaela Jones, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Newbury Park has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 7.7 runs. Royal's win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Newbury Park came out on top in a nail-biter against Royal when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 1-0. Will Newbury Park repeat their success, or does Royal have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
