The Del Valle Conquistadores will challenge the Parkland Matadors at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Del Valle's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They put the hurt on Horizon with a sharp 21-0 win. Winning may never get old, but the Conquistadores sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Andrea Salcedo was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in earned runs (zero). She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Clarissa Cepeda was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Mia Estrada was another key player, scoring four runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Del Valle was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .382 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Parkland got the win against Hanks on Friday by a conclusive 11-1. The Matadors haven't had any issues with the Knights recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Like Del Valle, Parkland also got a great game from a two-way player: Samantha Martinez. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Martinez has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Parkland got a massive performance out of Faith Avila, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and one triple. Another player making a difference was Devyn Rodriguez, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3.
Del Valle's win bumped their record up to 14-9-2. As for Parkland, their victory bumped their record up to 13-10.
Tuesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Del Valle has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .510. However, it's not like Parkland struggles in that department as they've averaged .506. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Del Valle beat Parkland 8-4 when the teams last played back in February. Will Del Valle repeat their success, or does Parkland has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
