The Santa Paula Cardinals will venture away from home to face off against the Royal Highlanders at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Santa Paula is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.2 runs per game this season.
Santa Paula took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Nordhoff with a sharp 13-3 win. Considering the Cardinals have won eight contests by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ayla Rodriguez tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances.
Ali Espinosa
| 04/29/25 vs Nordhoff | 4 |
| 04/25/24 @ Channel Islands | 3 |
| 04/10/24 @ Vasquez | 3 |
| 04/09/24 @ Nordhoff | 3 |
| 03/05/24 vs Nordhoff | 3 |
On the hitting side, Santa Paula got a massive performance out of Ali Espinosa, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those four hits gave Espinosa a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Carmen Chavez, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple.
Santa Paula was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .517. They are 7-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Camarillo hit Royal with a five-run fourth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Highlanders fell 11-8 to the Scorpions. The Highlanders haven't had much luck with the Scorpions recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Skylar Gapol was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Holly White was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Santa Paula's record is now 8-10. As for Royal, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-9.
Santa Paula's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's matchup. The Cardinals have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Royal, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Santa Paula continue to outrun the ball? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
