Softball Recap: Palm Desert Now 3-1 over Last Four Games

The matchup between Palm Desert and Palm Springs on Friday hardly resembled the 2-0 effort from their previous meeting. The Aztecs' pitcher stepped up to hand the Indians a 25-0 shutout. The high-scoring effort was just what the Aztecs needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.

Aaliyah Tapia was a major factor no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 4-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.

Gwyneth Kitagawa

Hits (Career)

05/02/25 @ Palm Springs	5
04/15/25 @ Xavier Prep	3
03/11/25 vs Rancho Mirage	3
04/04/25 vs Rancho Mirage	2
03/25/25 @ Palm Springs	2

In other batting news, Palm Desert got a massive performance out of Gwyneth Kitagawa, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with four runs, five RBI, and one triple. Those five hits gave Kitagawa a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Taneia Arviso, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.

Palm Desert always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .800. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Palm Desert is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-12 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.3 runs over those games. As for Palm Springs, they are on a seven-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-14.

We've got plenty of inter-league action coming up soon. Palm Desert will square off against rival Xavier Prep at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Palm Springs is set to challenge their familiar foe Rancho Mirage at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.