San Leandro hasn't had much luck against Bishop O'Dowd recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Pirates will be playing in front of their home fans against the Dragons at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bishop O'Dowd will take on a team with plenty of momentum: San Leandro extended their winning streak to nine on Tuesday. The Pirates were the clear victors by a 13-1 margin over San Lorenzo.
Giavanna De La Luz made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (five). She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Malia Bromstead, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Isabella Orozco, who scored a run while going 3-for-3.
San Leandro always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .706. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as San Lorenzo only posted an OBP of .150.
Meanwhile, Bishop O'Dowd made easy work of Mt. Eden on Wednesday and carried off a 20-9 win. The Dragons haven't had any issues with the Monarchs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Like San Leandro, Bishop O'Dowd also got a great game from a two-way player: Emma Brown. She struck out eight batters over 3.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. Brown has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Bishop O'Dowd got a massive performance out of Amiri Green, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3. Tulip Barnes was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and three RBI.
San Leandro's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Bishop O'Dowd, their win bumped their record up to 13-5.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. San Leandro hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .462. However, it's not like Bishop O'Dowd struggles in that department as they've averaged .349. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
San Leandro skirted past Bishop O'Dowd 9-7 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Will the Pirates repeat their success, or do the Dragons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
