The Red Mountain Mountain Lions will take on the Queen Creek Bulldogs at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Red Mountain comes in on 12 and Queen Creek on seven.
While Red Mountain's win against Mountain View wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Mountain Lions had just enough and edged out the Toros 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Mountain Lions have posted since March 19th.
Kendall Cochran
| 04/10/25 vs Mountain View | 16 |
| 04/08/25 vs Shadow Ridge | 11 |
| 04/04/25 vs Kofa | 14 |
| 04/03/25 @ Westwood | 13 |
| 04/01/25 vs Skyline | 10 |
| + 10 more games |
Kendall Cochran spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits and racked up 16 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Payton Westra and Nina Montenegro did most of the damage at the plate: Westra went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base, while Montenegro went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one triple. Westra is on a roll when it comes to home runs, as she's now launched at least one in each of the last three games she's played.
Meanwhile, Queen Creek got the win against Gilbert on Thursday by a conclusive 10-1. Considering the Bulldogs have won 11 contests by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Alexis Mendez tossed a big game, striking out 13 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Those 13 strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Charli Dixon was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Alessia Velazquez was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Queen Creek always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Gilbert only posted an OBP of .250.
Queen Creek's win was their 16th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-5. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Red Mountain, their record now sits at 12-3-1.
Friday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Red Mountain hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .340. However, it's not like Queen Creek struggles in that department as they've averaged .372. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Red Mountain suffered a grim 12-4 defeat to Queen Creek in their previous matchup back in February. Can the Mountain Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
