Softball Preview: Pacifica Mariners vs. Crean Lutheran Saints
Pacifica is 9-0 against Crean Lutheran since March of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Pacifica Mariners will head out on the road to challenge the Crean Lutheran Saints at 3:15 p.m. Pacifica is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
Pacifica will head into Tuesday's game having proved themselves against Valencia: Pacifica took a 13-point defeat the last time they faced off against Valencia, but they managed to turn things around on Tuesday. Pacifica had just enough and edged Valencia out 2-0. Give Pacifica's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Brynne Nally spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just zero earned runs on four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Pacifica's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kaniya Bragg, who went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI. Mattea Stern was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a triple and a run.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 11 runs the game before, Crean Lutheran was a bit more limited in their contest on Tuesday. They wound up on the wrong side of a rough 18-1 walloping at the hands of Kennedy.
Pacifica pushed their record up to 19-2 with that victory, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Crean Lutheran, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-11 record this season.
Crean Lutheran's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Pacifica has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Crean Lutheran, though, as they've been averaging 8.7. Given Pacifica's sizable advantage in that area, Crean Lutheran will need to find a way to close that gap.
Pacifica took their win against Crean Lutheran in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 11-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pacifica since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
