Softball Preview: Sylmar Spartans vs. Taft Toreadors
The Sylmar Spartans will square off against the Taft Toreadors at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Sylmar is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.
Sylmar is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They walked away with a 9-4 victory over Northridge Academy.
Victoria Jimenez made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched 6.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off eight hits. Jimenez has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Jimenez was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, Katherine Godoy was incredible, going 4-for-4 with a home run, three stolen bases, and three runs. Another player making a difference was Maya Salceda, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Taft had to endure an 11-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They never let Orthopaedic onto the board and left with an 11-0 win on Friday. Taft's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Sylmar, Taft also got a great game from a two-way player: Chiara Cioffi. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Cioffi was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Zahra Hengst and Katelyn Levine did most of the damage at the plate: Hengst scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3, while Levine got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, a triple, and a stolen base. Maya Gunderson was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
Sylmar has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-12-1 record this season. As for Taft, their record is now 5-13.
Taft's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Sylmar has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .521. It's a different story for Taft, though, as they've only averaged .364. Will they be able to contain Sylmar's hitters?
Sylmar might still be hurting after the 12-2 loss they got from Taft in their previous matchup back in February of 2020. Can Sylmar avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
