Softball Preview: Palm Desert Aztecs vs. Liberty Lions
The Palm Desert Aztecs will head out on the road to take on the Liberty Lions at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
If Palm Desert beats Liberty with ten runs on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. Palm Desert's pitchers stepped up to hand Palm Springs a 10-0 shutout on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for Palm Desert.
Natalie Rey was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Rey has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances. Rey was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Audra Higgins, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a double. Sidney Sherrod was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Liberty had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 12-1 margin over the Patriots.
Liberty also got a great performance from Kate Skinner as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Taylor Jennings was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three runs, a triple, and a double. Another player making a difference was Paige Breitstein, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Palm Desert is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 13 games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-11 record this season. As for Liberty, they pushed their record up to 15-3 with that win, which was their seventh straight on the road.
Both both teams just can't seem to miss. Palm Desert has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.9 hits per game. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.8. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
