Softball Preview: Nixon Mustangs vs. Palmview Lobos
Nixon is 0-3 against Palmview since March of 2023 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Nixon Mustangs will be playing in front of their home fans against the Palmview Lobos at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Tuesday, everything went Nixon's way against Cigarroa as Nixon made off with an 18-5 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for Nixon.
Giulia Garza was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits (she also only allowed one walk). Garza has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive pitching appearances. Garza was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Kivana Hernandez was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Yaritza Ramos, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Palmview came tearing into Tuesday's game with ten straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.6 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Huskies a 22-0 shutout. Palmview's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Nixon, Palmview also got a great game from a two-way player: Arianna Alaniz. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Alaniz was also big at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Palmview got a massive performance out of Marina Rodriguez, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. Eissa Flores was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-5.
Nixon pushed their record up to 13-12-1 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs per game. As for Palmview, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 18 of their last 20 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 21-6 record this season.
Nixon might still be hurting after the 12-1 defeat they got from Palmview when the teams last played back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Alaniz, who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. Now that Nixon knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
