SARATOGA -- Fewer than 24 hours after the conclusion of a thrilling, 14-inning victory on the road, the No. 3 Vikings returned to their home turf in a battle of top-20 teams as they took on No. 19 Fresno City. Though the Vikings have continued their perfect start to the 2026 season, some games haven't been smooth sailing. Even past the lengthy, 14 inning game against Delta, the Vikings played two nine-inning games against Modesto and No. 6 Cosumnes River took them into extras.

The outcome of this game, however, was decided early in the second inning. West Valley (11-0) plated six runs while batting around in its second frame of action, picking up momentum as freshman Kaylee Kline racked up clean innings in the circle. The Rams (7-4) on the other hand, could muster just one hit off Kline and relief pitcher Ana Marquez and struggled in the circle as the Vikings dominated, 7-0.

Kline (2-0) was touched up a little bit in the early portion of her season, allowing four runs in four innings while picking up the win in her first outing with the Vikings before giving up three runs in just 0.1 innings against Santa Rosa. Since that early blip, the freshman has been fantastic. In her previous outing against Modesto, Kline lasted a career-long 4.1 innings while allowing just one earned run. She continued that swing early against the Rams, working around a leadoff walk by coaxing a double play in a 1-2-3 first inning.

Fresno City would get its lone hit of the ballgame in the second inning, but Kline punched out her first two of an eventual four strikeouts to prevent a scoring threat for the Rams. In the bottom half of the inning, West Valley's bats exploded, at one point hitting four straight first pitch base hits during an offensive ambush. Freshman catcher Destiny Solis worked a one out walk before Zoe Griffin, April Price and Ella Moser each hit singles, moving the Vikings station-to-station with the top of the lineup looming. Back at the top of the order, shortstop Izzy Paskert knocked in two runs with a single before second baseman Mo Temple added two more tallies. With two outs, DP Angie Fulkerson drove in another, continuing her fantastic offensive stretch.

Fulkerson, a freshman, has some of the best raw power on the Vikings but is starting to find the bat-to-ball skills necessary in head coach Vicky Piatt's lineup. She almost single-handedly won the Vikings the game against Delta, going 2-for-3 after appearing off the bench while driving in the eventual winning run in the 14th inning. She was one of two Viking freshmen to hit multiple times in the long second inning, and she made the Rams pay for letting her see the same arm twice in the frame.

West Valley added one more in the third inning when Griffin walked, Price singled and, after a groundout, Paskert's line drive to right was deep enough to score Griffin for the Vikings' final run.

Back in the circle, Kline continued to deal. She punched out one batter in the third and, already having set down seven consecutive, punched out Fresno City cleanup hitter Mya-Jade Taylor to finish her day with eight straight retired. Overall, she lasted four innings in her second victory of the year, striking out four while allowing just two baserunners.

Marquez, credited with a three-inning save, followed Kline in the circle and was every bit as dominant. The sophomore continues to find her niche in the Vikings' bullpen, as she completed three hitless innings, striking out five batters with a commanding presence in the circle.

It was a quality, top-20 win for the Vikings, who needed a bit of a breezer after wallowing through consecutive extra inning games. They got just that, with a couple of days off before taking on Reedley in a double-header on Tuesday.