Valencia struck first and struck hard, but a four-run Castaic fourth turned an early lead into a 5-3 road loss.

The Vikings jumped on top in the first. Evan Conrad walked and stole second, Justin Gaisford walked, and Zach Davis crushed a three-run homer to left for an immediate 3-0 lead. It was all the offense Valencia would muster: Andrew Bond settled in and held the Vikings hitless from the second inning on, scattering four walks while the lineup stranded runners at the corners in the second.

Castaic chipped back a run in the first on a wild pitch and then broke through in the fourth. Tristan Arriaga stole home, Michael Fava came around on a passed ball, Bryson Nieuwkoop singled home Jakob Kerr, and Aiden Arroyo doubled in Nieuwkoop to make it 5-3. The damage came without much hard contact, just two RBI on the day for Castaic, with the rest crossing on wild pitches and steals.

Charlie Romanelli was a bright spot in relief, retiring eight of the ten hitters he faced over 2.2 scoreless innings to keep it a two-run game. Davis finished with all three RBI, Tyler Wertz doubled, and Francisco Velazquez Jr. and Conrad each singled, but the Vikings could not break back through against Bond.