The North Monterey County Condors will square off against the King City Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
North Monterey County is headed into Thursday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Tuesday. They took a 19-15 hit to the loss column at the hands of Carmel. Even if the Condors couldn't come away with the win, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.
Julia Oliva and Samantha Scharton stepped up to the plate in a big way. Oliva went 3-for-5 with five RBI, three doubles, and two runs, while Scharton went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. Sofia Navarro was another key player, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for King City, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 20-5 margin over Monte Vista Christian on Tuesday. Considering King City has won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Alizah Carrillo made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, King City got a massive performance out of Crystal Paramo, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs. Those four RBI gave Paramo a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Avery Munoz, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base.
King City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .750. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
King City is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.1 runs over those games. As for North Monterey County, their loss dropped their record down to 2-16.
North Monterey County might still be hurting after the 9-3 defeat they got from King City when the teams last played back in March. Will the Condors have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
