Centennial is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Palo Verde is on an 11-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Bulldogs will host the Panthers at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Centennial 4, Palo Verde 1.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Centennial is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Shadow Ridge, who was ranked fifth at the time (Centennial was ranked eighth). The Bulldogs skirted past the Mustangs 6-4. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Bulldogs as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Lily Fournier spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Centennial's win was truly a team effort as nine different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Sydnee Smith, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Palo Verde got the win against Liberty on Monday by a conclusive 9-3. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by six runs or more this season.
Taylor Johns was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Kayleen Enriquez was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Palo Verde kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Liberty only managed six hits.
Centennial's victory bumped their record up to 12-10. As for Palo Verde, their win bumped their record up to 15-0.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Centennial hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Palo Verde struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
