Mills has won nine straight games at home, while Notre Dame has won nine straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Vikings will host the Tigers at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mills barely beat Notre Dame the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Vikings never let the Regents get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory on Wednesday.
Kalia Woo looked comfortable as she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 14 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Lucy Esquivel was a standout: she went 1-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Audrey Jang was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one double.
Mills kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in seven consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame made easy work of Mercy on Wednesday and carried off an 11-0 win. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Bears recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Allison Lui made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Lui was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, Notre Dame let Eliana Crespin and Hailey Truong run wild. Crespin went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Truong got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases Truong has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Stella Hird, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Mills is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-3-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.1 runs over those games. As for Notre Dame, their victory bumped their record up to 15-3-1.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Mills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .383. However, it's not like Notre Dame struggles in that department as they've averaged .346. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mills couldn't quite get it done against Notre Dame when the teams last played back in March as they fell 6-3. Will the Vikings have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
