Softball Game Preview: Chaparral Firebirds vs. Centennial Coyotes

The Chaparral Firebirds will face off against the Centennial Coyotes at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Chaparral is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.

Chaparral fell victim to Desert Mountain and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wolves. The loss continues a trend for the Firebirds in their meetings with the Wolves: they've now lost eight in a row.

Meanwhile, Centennial had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Eagles 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Coyotes have posted since February 27th.

Stephanie Olivas-Marrufo was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Annalise Macias, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.

Centennial's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-6-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Chaparral, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-13.

Everything went Chaparral's way against Centennial when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Chaparral made off with a 12-2 victory. Do the Firebirds have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Coyotes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.