The Hoover Patriots are taking a road trip to take on the Torres Toros at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Torres will be up against a hot Hoover squad: the team just extended their winning streak to nine. The Patriots' pitcher stepped up to hand San Joaquin Memorial a 26-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Patriots' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Hazel Martinez made a splash while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Layla Jimenez
| 05/07/25 vs San Joaquin Memorial | 5 |
| 04/08/25 @ Roosevelt | 4 |
| 03/11/25 @ Mendota | 3 |
| 03/04/25 vs Fresno Christian | 3 |
| 04/04/25 @ Fresno | 1 |
In other batting news, Hoover got a massive performance out of Layla Jimenez, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with five RBI, three runs, and one stolen base. Those five RBI gave Jimenez a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Bellatrix Braun, who got on base in five of her six plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.
Hoover always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .689. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Torres, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They put the hurt on Madera South with a sharp 16-5 victory on Tuesday. The Toros haven't had any issues with the Stallions recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Torres pushed their record up to 11-11 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.0 runs over those games. As for Hoover, their record is now 13-5.
Hoover beat Torres 8-4 when the teams last played two weeks ago. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
