Softball Preview: Pomona Panthers vs. Golden Demons
Pomona is 0-5 against Golden since September of 2018 but things could change on Monday. The Pomona Panthers will welcome the Golden Demons at 4:30 p.m. Pomona is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Pomona took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They came out on top against Centaurus by a score of 9-4.
Erica Rivera made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with a triple, two RBI, and a run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on AmAyA KrAntz, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Lia Martinez, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Golden came tearing into Wednesday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Gators with a sharp 19-2 win. Considering the Demons have won five matches by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
The team relied heavily on Avery Wiegand, who went 1-for-1 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Madeline Stubenrauch, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Golden didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with five strikeouts. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3.2 strikeouts per game earlier this season, but in their last five games they've averaged 7.
Pomona's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-7. As for Golden, their win bumped their record up to 8-5.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Pomona hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Golden struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pomona might still be hurting after the 9-2 loss they got from Golden when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Can Pomona 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
