Softball Game Preview: Otay Ranch Mustangs vs. Oceanside Pirates

The Otay Ranch Mustangs will challenge the Oceanside Pirates at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Oceanside took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Otay Ranch, who comes in off a win.

Otay Ranch proved they can win big on Monday (they won by six) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Patrick Henry 3-2.

Scarlett Martinez looked comfortable as she pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.

On the hitting side, Otay Ranch saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zoey Gonzales, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one double. That double marked the first that Gonzales hit this season. Venice Inguito was another, going 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.

Otay Ranch hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most two strikeouts in three consecutive games.

Oceanside might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 7-1 to Canyon Hills, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The Pirates have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Otay Ranch pushed their record up to 3-3-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.6 runs over those games. As for Oceanside, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.

Otay Ranch skirted past Oceanside 6-5 in their previous matchup back in March of 2020. Will Otay Ranch repeat their success, or does Oceanside have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.