The Escondido Cougars will head out on the road to challenge the Fallbrook Warriors at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Escondido will be strutting in after a win while Fallbrook will be coming in after a defeat.
Escondido lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Valley Center, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Tuesday's contest. The Cougars blew past the Jaguars 15-8 on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Cougars, who have now won seven matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Amelia Gastelum was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over eight innings while giving up three earned (and five unearned) runs off 12 hits. Gastelum was also stellar in the batter's box, going 5-for-6 with three stolen bases, four runs, and one triple. What's more, she posted two RBI, the most she's had since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kendall Workman, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in March. Sofia Velazquez was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Escondido was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .523. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Fallbrook was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They came up short against Westview, falling 15-1.
Fallbrook saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kate Nath, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run.
Fallbrook's defeat dropped their record down to 8-13. As for Escondido, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-12-1.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Escondido hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. However, it's not like Fallbrook struggles in that department as they've averaged .379. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Escondido came out on top in a nail-biter against Fallbrook in their previous meeting on Thursday, sneaking past 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
