The Valencia freshmen did nearly everything but finish at Simi Valley, out-hitting the Pioneers 12-5 and leading from the first inning until the last, before a one-out rally in the bottom of the seventh ended it 3-2 on a two-run double.

Gavin Dunbar was outstanding in the start, 4.2 scoreless innings on two hits, and Elijah Garcia stranded a two-out triple in the fifth to keep the lead at 2-0. The runs came early: Elijah Avlas walked and scored on Marcus Paikos's first-inning triple, and Caden Shin singled and came home on Elijah Patlian's sacrifice fly in the second.

The story of the middle innings was the stranded runner: bases loaded with one out in the third (a runner cut down at home on a fielder's choice) and again in the fifth (a fly out), twelve left on base in all against five Simi Valley pitchers.

In the seventh, a single, an error, and a single loaded the bases with one out; a walk forced in one run and the next batter doubled to left for the walk-off. Paikos, Shin, Jace Lindstrom, and Ryan Kim had two hits apiece, and Kasen Caranto turned an unassisted-start double play at second in the sixth.