Softball Preview: Willow Canyon Wildcats vs. Sunrise Mountain Mustangs
Willow Canyon has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Sunrise Mountain Mustangs at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Willow Canyon knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with flashy run totals in its past seven matchups -- so hopefully Sunrise Mountain likes a good challenge.
In what's become a running theme this season, Willow Canyon gave their fans yet another huge win on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Ironwood a 13-0 shutout. Give Willow Canyon's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Aubrey Kautman tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in seven consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Harmony Andrade and Brenna Windahl did most of the damage at the plate: Andrade went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and a triple, while Windahl went 3-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Caylee Walding, who went 2-for-3 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
Sunrise Mountain can finally bid farewell to their four-game losing streak thanks to their game on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Kellis with a sharp 19-1 victory. The win was just what Sunrise Mountain needed coming off of a 14-4 loss in their prior match.
Mackenzie Catalanotte was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. Catalanotte was also big at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Kaelani Paulino was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple. Hailey Martinez was another key contributor, scoring four runs while going 3-for-3.
Willow Canyon has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season. As for Sunrise Mountain, their record is now 6-15-1.
Everything went Willow Canyon's way against Sunrise Mountain in their previous meeting last Wednesday as Willow Canyon made off with a 12-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Willow Canyon since the squad 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
