Softball Preview: Sunnyside Blue Devils vs. Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks
The Sunnyside Blue Devils will play host again on Wednesday to welcome the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks, where first pitch is scheduled at 6:00 p.m. Sunnyside is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.
Last Monday, it was a hard-fought contest, but Sunnyside had to settle for a 6-5 loss against Tucson High Magnet School.
Tatyana Vega spent all eight innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered six earned runs on ten hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Sunnyside saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gabriela Morales, who went 2-for-4 with a home run.
Meanwhile, Ironwood Ridge waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Mountain Lions by a score of 9-5.
Ironwood Ridge let Mia Gutierrez and Isabella Wolfe loose on the outfield. Gutierrez got on base in all five of her plate appearances with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two doubles, while Wolfe went 1-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Hailei Barney, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
Sunnyside's defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 15-6. As for Ironwood Ridge, their win bumped their record up to 10-6.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Sunnyside hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .341. However, it's not like Ironwood Ridge struggles in that department as they've averaged .351. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Sunnyside came out on top in a nail-biter against Ironwood Ridge in their previous matchup back in March of 2023, sneaking past 9-7. Will Sunnyside repeat their success, or does Ironwood Ridge have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
