Laguna Hills is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Friday. They will welcome the Valencia Tigers at 3:30 p.m. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with five consecutive losses for Laguna Hills and three for Valencia.
Laguna Hills might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 8-7 to Crean Lutheran, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.
Julianna Kornegay made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kassidy Patterson, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Valencia came up short against Foothill on Saturday and fell 8-5.
Isabella Goulet spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and seven unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Cadence Ledbetter was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Lucy Ann Enomoto was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Valencia kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. This was only their first loss (out of four games) when they post 11 or more hits.
Valencia's defeat dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Laguna Hills, their loss dropped their record down to 1-5.
Laguna Hills' speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's game. Laguna Hills has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Valencia, though, as they've been averaging only 0.6 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Laguna Hills continue to outrun the ball?
Laguna Hills was able to grind out a solid win over Valencia in their previous meeting back in February of 2018, winning 6-1. Will Laguna Hills repeat their success, or does Valencia has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
