For the first time this season, Selma will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will challenge the Reedley Pirates at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Selma comes in on three and Reedley on six.
If Selma beats Reedley with five runs on Wednesday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. Selma beat Fresno Christian on Saturday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 5-1.
Jovani Tovar
| 03/08/25 vs Sierra Pacific | 3 |
| 03/29/25 vs Fresno Christian | 1 |
Jovani Tovar was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He is becoming a predictor of Selma's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 2-1 (and 3-4 when he doesn't). Tovar was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Braden Francis was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Matheo Roque, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Selma hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in four consecutive matchups.
While Reedley didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They had just enough and edged out Lemoore 2-1 on Thursday.
Mason Cisneros spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Reedley saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alex Rodriguez, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Reedley pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Selma, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
Everything went Selma's way against Reedley when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Selma made off with a 9-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Selma since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
