Softball Preview: Casa Grande Gauchos vs. Napa Grizzlies
The Casa Grande Gauchos will head out on the road to take on the Napa Grizzlies at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Casa Grande is coming into the contest hot, having won their last ten games.
Casa Grande will bounce into Friday's game after beating Vintage, who they hadn't topped in nine consecutive meetings. Casa Grande came out on top in a nail-biter against Vintage on Friday and snuck past 4-3.
Lila Partridge made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Partridge has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Partridge was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Partridge wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Abby McSweeney, who went 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Napa lost a heartbreaker to Sonoma Valley when they met back in May of 2023, and they left with a heavy heart again on Wednesday. Napa lost 11-3 to Sonoma Valley. Napa has struggled against Sonoma Valley recently, as their matchup on Wednesday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Casa Grande pushed their record up to 17-2 with that victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Napa, their loss dropped their record down to 8-11.
Napa's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Casa Grande has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Napa, though, as they've been averaging only 2.9. Will Casa Grande keep running through batters, or will Napa buck the trend?
Casa Grande took their win against Napa when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 10-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Casa Grande since the team 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
