The Irvine Vaqueros will face off against the Granite Hills Cougars at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Irvine is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Heritage with a sharp 18-7 win. The Vaqueros' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Midori De Los Santos made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. De Los Santos was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Shelley Qi
| 05/20/26 vs Heritage | 4 |
| 04/30/26 @ Portola | 2 |
| 04/25/26 vs Mira Costa | 2 |
| 03/21/26 vs Burroughs | 2 |
| 04/23/26 vs University | 1 |
In other batting news, Shelley Qi was a standout: she went 3-for-5 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Harper Vandermolen, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.
Irvine kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Granite Hills came tearing into Wednesday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Valiants 15-4. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Olivia Young spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on seven hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Saylor Croom, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Taylor Rask was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Irvine's record now sits at 14-16. As for Granite Hills, their record is now 13-8.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Irvine hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Granite Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
