Softball Recap: Centennial Finds Playoff Glory Versus Spanish Springs

It's playoff time, and Centennial had no trouble coming through when it counted. They put the hurt on the Spanish Springs Cougars with a sharp 9-3 win on Thursday. For the Bulldogs, this counts as revenge for the 2-1 victory the Cougars walked away with the last time they faced one another back in March of 2020.

Lily Fournier spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on seven hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 20 consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Leeah Ibarra and Sloane Merrell did most of the damage at the plate: Ibarra went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one double, while Merrell went a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI Ibarra has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Abigail Estrada, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

Centennial was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Centennial has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-13 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. As for Spanish Springs, the loss snapped their winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 25-12-1 record.

As of now, neither Centennial nor the Cougars have any future games scheduled.