Softball Preview: Eaglecrest Raptors vs. Cherry Creek Bruins
Eaglecrest has gone 8-2 against Cherry Creek recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Eaglecrest Raptors will be playing at home against the Cherry Creek Bruins at 4:30 a.m. Eaglecrest is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.3 runs per game this season.
On Saturday, Eaglecrest got the win against Smoky Hill by a conclusive 13-1. The Raptors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
Alyssa Vallejos looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. That's the fewest strikeouts she has posted since two weeks ago.
On the hitting side, Kaitlyn Hendrian was incredible, going 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Leila Kelliher, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Eaglecrest was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .457. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Smoky Hill only posted a batting average of .240.
Meanwhile, Cherry Creek sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 win over Mountain Vista on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bruins.
Cherry Creek also got a great performance from Claudia Zipperer as she pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Zipperer has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks every time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Elena Sepesi was excellent, going 3-for-4 with a triple, a run, and an RBI. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in hits. The team also got some help courtesy of Anastasia Shelkovich, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Eaglecrest is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. As for Cherry Creek, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Eaglecrest hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Cherry Creek struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Eaglecrest was able to grind out a solid win over Cherry Creek in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, winning 8-3. Does Eaglecrest have another victory up their sleeve, or will Cherry Creek turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
