Softball Game Preview: Hilltop Lancers vs. Montgomery Aztecs

Hilltop has gone a perfect 3-0 against Montgomery recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Lancers will head out to face off against the Aztecs at 3:30 p.m. Hilltop will be strutting in after a victory while Montgomery will be coming in after a loss.

Hilltop is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against San Ysidro on Friday as they made off with a 16-2 win. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Lancers with their most commanding win of the season.

Catherine Vasquez and Maricela Barajas made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Vasquez pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Barajas pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. At bat, Vasquez scored a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Barajas scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Those two runs gave Barajas a new career-high.

Olivia Mertz

Runs (Career)

04/11/25 @ San Ysidro	4
03/06/24 vs Mission Bay	3
02/19/24 @ Montgomery	3
04/07/25 vs Castle Park	2
03/07/25 vs University City	2

In other batting news, Hilltop got a massive performance out of Olivia Mertz, who scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Those four runs gave Mertz a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaylani Sablan, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.

Hilltop was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .545. They are 4-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Meanwhile, Montgomery came up short against Lincoln on Friday and fell 11-8. The Aztecs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Hilltop has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-7-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Montgomery, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-7.

Everything went Hilltop's way against Montgomery in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, as Hilltop made off with a 32-5 win. Will the Lancers repeat their success, or do the Aztecs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.