For the first time this season, Alvarado will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup on Tuesday. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Hillsboro Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Alvarado's victory against Benbrook wasn't quite the blowout they won the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Alvarado sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over Benbrook on Saturday.
Payton Slovak
| 03/01/25 vs Benbrook | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Springtown | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Graford | 2 |
Alvarado got a big performance out of Payton Slovak, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Slovak has been hot recently, having also posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Xitlilac Tapia was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
Alvarado always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .542. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Hillsboro had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past the Yellowjackets 12-2. Considering the Eagles have won five contests by more than seven runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Valeria Garcia and Olivia Cornelius- Mathis did most of the damage at the plate: Garcia scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances, while Cornelius- Mathis scored a run while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Cornelius- Mathis a new career-high in RBI (three). Another player making a difference was Laci Forns, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Alvarado has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. Hillsboro pushed their record up to 8-4 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Alvarado has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hillsboro struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Alvarado came up short against Hillsboro in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 9-5. Can Alvarado avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
