Softball: Simi Valley reaffirms its frontrunner status

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It’s no joke -- Simi Valley is 2-0 against defending Marmonte League champions Thousand Oaks, and has to be considered the early favorite to take this year’s league title.

Behind a stellar performance by pitcher Amanda Oliveto and a couple solo home runs by Sam Fischer and Tawny Reeger, the Pioneers beat the Lancers, 3-0, on Tuesday afternoon. The team was pretty stoked to have beaten TO for the second time in less than a week and even more pleased to have done it on the road.

Here’s Oliveto’s take on her eighth victory of the season:

‘I felt our intensity level was up from the first pitch until the last out,’ said Simi Valley Coach Russ Michael, who team improved to 16-0 overall and 3-0 in league. ‘It’s always a big game when we play [Thousand Oaks] and it feels good when we can beat them.’

Especially when you know one of the aces in your stable will be back for the next game. On the first pitch of the sixth, Oliveto took a comebacker off her right shin. After a couple quick hobbles, she then fell to the ground. Fortunately, she got back up and was pitching a few minutes later.

‘I was definitely worried that she was hurt,’ Michael said. ‘But she’s telling me the whole time, ‘I’m fine, don’t take me out,’ so I knew she was OK.’

Oliveto scattered three hits -- two of which came with two outs in the inning -- and struck out six over a complete-game effort. She is definitely one of the region’s top pitchers.

-- Austin Knoblauch