Softball Game Preview: South Gate Rams vs. Garfield Bulldogs

South Gate is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Wednesday. They are taking a road trip to take on the Garfield Bulldogs at 3:00 p.m. Garfield took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on South Gate, who comes in off a win.

Having struggled with six defeats in a row dating back to last season, South Gate turned things around against Hawthorne on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Cougars, sneaking past 4-3.

Veronica Esparza made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in April of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one home run.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ashlyn Acevedo, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March of 2024. Fatima Delfin also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.

Meanwhile, Garfield was not able to break out of their rough patch last Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They came up short against Banning, falling 17-5.

Madilyn Mu?oz and Rosalie Aguilera stepped up to the plate in a big way. Mu?oz went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one double, while Aguilera went 1-for-2 with one home run. Clara Villalpando was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.

Even though they lost, Garfield was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .565. Their batting average was a full 0 higher than the also-impressive .424 that Banning posted.

Garfield's defeat dropped their record down to 1-4. As for South Gate, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.

South Gate might still be hurting after the 12-2 loss they got from Garfield when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can South Gate avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.