The El Modena Vanguards will square off against the Esperanza Aztecs at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Esperanza took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on El Modena, who comes in off a win.
El Modena took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They won by a run and slipped past JSerra Catholic 3-2.
Sara Pinedo spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on four hits and racked up 12 Ks. Those 12 strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
Kylie Tafua
| 03/21/25 vs JSerra Catholic | 2 |
| 03/08/25 vs Mater Dei | 1 |
| 02/28/25 @ Fullerton | 1 |
| 02/27/25 vs Aliso Niguel | 1 |
| 02/20/25 vs Capistrano Valley | 1 |
At the plate, Kylie Tafua was incredible, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (two). Devin Drummond also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, Esperanza was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took an 8-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of California.
Madison Page and Tayloran Sicard stepped up to the plate in a big way. Page got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one double and one RBI, while Sicard scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. Another player making a difference was Jenna Gober, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
El Modena pushed their record up to 10-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 1.5 runs across that stretch. As for Esperanza, their loss dropped their record down to 3-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. El Modena has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Esperanza struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
El Modena took their win against Esperanza in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-0. Does El Modena have another victory up their sleeve, or will Esperanza turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
