Softball Game Preview: El Modena Vanguards vs. Notre Dame (SO) Knights

The El Modena Vanguards will head out to square off against the Notre Dame (SO) Knights at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (El Modena 3, Notre Dame (SO) 2.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.

El Modena is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Rosary Academy 7-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Vanguards.

Sara Pinedo tossed a big game, tossing 5.1 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits.

On the hitting side, Parker Mayes was a standout: she got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Kylie Tafua, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.

El Modena was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame (SO) has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 2.87 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Saturday. They had just enough and edged out El Segundo 12-10. Winning may never get old, but the Knights sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.

Notre Dame (SO) got a massive performance out of Nadia Ledon, who fired off two home runs and three runs while going 3-for-4. That's the most home runs Ledon has posted since back in March of 2024. Kelsey Luderer was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.

Notre Dame (SO) pushed their record up to 25-5 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for El Modena, their record is now 20-8.