Lakeview Charter is a perfect 10-0 against Valley Oaks CES since May of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Lions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Vanguards at 6:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Lakeview Charter's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while Valley Oaks CES has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last six times Lakeview Charter and Valor Academy have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Thursday. The Lions came out on top against Valor Academy by a score of 6-1.
Angel Vazquez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up 13 Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Lakeview Charter is 5-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-5 otherwise.
Eric Perez
| 04/04/25 @ Triumph Charter | 4 |
| 04/21/25 vs Community Charter | 3 |
| 04/09/25 @ Valley Oaks CES | 3 |
| 04/02/25 @ Valor Academy | 3 |
| 05/01/25 vs Valor Academy | 2 |
| + 9 more games |
At the plate, Lakeview Charter let Eric Perez and Angel Sanchez run wild. Perez went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs, while Sanchez went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Perez is becoming a predictor of Lakeview Charter's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 8-3 (and 1-4 when he doesn't). Julian De La Pena was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 11 runs the game before, Valley Oaks CES was a bit more limited in their game on Thursday. They fell 5-2 to Sun Valley Magnet. That's two games in a row now that the Vanguards have lost by exactly three runs.
Valley Oaks CES saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Andre Zuniga, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one double.
Valley Oaks CES' defeat dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Lakeview Charter, their win bumped their record up to 9-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lakeview Charter has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valley Oaks CES struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lakeview Charter skirted past Valley Oaks CES 12-10 in their previous meeting back in April. Do the Lions have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vanguards turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
