South Pasadena is 0-10 against La Canada since May of 2021 but things could change on Friday. The South Pasadena Tigers will take on the La Canada Spartans at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
La Canada will be up against a hot South Pasadena squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. South Pasadena blew past Glendale 15-4 on Wednesday. While the Tigers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Lucia Atencio made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the first time she hasn't allowed a single hit since back in March of 2024. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-3. What's more, she posted two RBI, the most she's had since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Natalie Kan was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four runs, and three RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jolene Wu, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
South Pasadena always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The home team had come away the winner the last three times La Canada and Monrovia had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. La Canada put the hurt on Monrovia with a sharp 9-2 win on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Spartans in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won three in a row.
Bentley Lebrecque and Grace Rocco were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Lebrecque struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Rocco struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Lebrecque has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. At bat, Lebrecque went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI, while Rocco fired off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Riley Labrecque, who scored a run and stole Three bases. while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Caitlin Yee, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
South Pasadena's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for La Canada, the victory got them back to even at 4-4-1.
South Pasadena might still be hurting after the 9-2 defeat they got from La Canada in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can South Pasadena avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
