The Cajon Cowboys will square off against the Citrus Valley Blackhawks at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Cajon took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Redlands as they made off with a 9-1 victory. The Cowboys haven't had any issues with the Terriers recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Cajon got a great performance from Neveah Smith as she tossed five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. What's more, Smith posted five strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March.
At the plate, Ci'Ella Pickett was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two doubles. Rylee Torres was another key player, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Cajon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Redlands only posted a batting average of .269.
Meanwhile, Citrus Valley had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They came out on top against the Cougars by a score of 7-4.
The team relied heavily on Monse Matute, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Leah Leivas, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Citrus Valley's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-10. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Cajon, their victory bumped their record up to 11-13.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Cajon hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .370. However, it's not like Citrus Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .390. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cajon was able to grind out a solid win over Citrus Valley in their previous matchup two weeks ago, winning 5-2. Do the Cowboys have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Blackhawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
