The Willow Canyon Wildcats will head out on the road to take on the Alhambra Lions at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Willow Canyon's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last five contests.
On Thursday, Willow Canyon got the win against Ironwood by a conclusive 14-4. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won six in a row.
Mel Fox spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on 12 hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances.
Courtney Ray
| 04/03/25 @ Ironwood | 5 |
| 03/25/25 @ Sunrise Mountain | 1 |
| 03/24/25 vs Sunnyslope | 1 |
| 03/12/25 vs Greenway | 1 |
| 03/06/25 @ Fairfax | 1 |
At the plate, Bella Mora and Courtney Ray did most of the damage at the plate: Mora went a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, five runs, and three doubles, while Ray went 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave Ray a new career-high. Addy Cervantes also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Willow Canyon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .421. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .378 or higher in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Alhambra didn't have quite enough to beat Metro Tech on Thursday and fell 20-18. Even though they lost, the Lions' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.9 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Lillyana Reyes was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-6 with four runs, two stolen bases, and five RBI. Deidrea Tree was another key player, scoring four runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-5.
Willow Canyon's victory bumped their record up to 10-6-1. As for Alhambra, their loss dropped their record down to 3-8.
Alhambra's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Willow Canyon has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.5 hits per game. It's a different story for Alhambra, though, as they've been averaging 9.8 hits. Given Willow Canyon's sizable advantage in that area, the Lions will need to find a way to close that gap.
Willow Canyon took their win against Alhambra in their previous matchup back in April of 2015 by a conclusive 17-0 score. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
