Softball Preview: Chico Panthers vs. Pleasant Valley Vikings
Chico is 1-9 against Pleasant Valley since March of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Chico Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Pleasant Valley Vikings at 5:00 p.m.
Chico is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Foothill just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell victim to a tough 12-1 defeat at the hands of the Cougars. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, Chico couldn't push the score so high this time.
Chico saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gioella Pennisi, who went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Pleasant Valley gave their fans yet another huge win on Wednesday. They put the hurt on East Nicolaus with a sharp 9-3 victory. The win was familiar territory for Pleasant Valley who now have four in a row.
Alissa Snipes made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Snipes has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Snipes was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Lily Thurman was incredible, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Carisma Ta'amai was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Chico's loss dropped their record down to 5-7-2. As for Pleasant Valley, they pushed their record up to 11-3 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road.
Chico came up short against Pleasant Valley when the teams last played back in May of 2023, falling 4-1. Can Chico avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
