Softball Preview: Green Valley Gators vs. Palo Verde Panthers
After two games on the road, Green Valley is heading back home. They will take on the Palo Verde Panthers at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Wednesday, Green Valley faced Bishop Gorman in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Green Valley was the clear victor by a 9-2 margin over Bishop Gorman.
Green Valley got a great performance from Gracie Rasavong as she tossed six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits (she also only allowed one walk). Rasavong has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Kalina Carrizales was incredible, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. Rustie Riley was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Palo Verde's hitters rose to the challenge against a Patriots pitching crew that boasted an average of only 3.6 points allowed on Wednesday. Everything went Palo Verde's way against Liberty as Palo Verde made off with a 16-3 victory.
Palo Verde also got a great performance from JoJo Corniel as she tossed five innings while giving up three earned runs off nine hits (she also didn't allow any walks).
On the hitting side, Palo Verde let Taylor Johns and Payton Liposky loose on the outfield. Johns got on base in three of her four plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and four RBI, while Liposky went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Mya Bartlett, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Green Valley pushed their record up to 6-5 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs per game. As for Palo Verde, their victory bumped their record up to 11-3.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Green Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .332. However, it's not like Palo Verde struggles in that department as they've averaged .439. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Green Valley skirted past Palo Verde 9-8 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Does Green Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Palo Verde turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
