The JSerra Catholic Lions will face off against the Aliso Niguel Wolverines at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. JSerra Catholic's pitching crew has only allowed 1.3 runs per game this season, so Aliso Niguel's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
If JSerra Catholic beats Aliso Niguel with six runs on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. JSerra Catholic came out on top against El Toro by a score of 6-1 on Saturday. The Lions haven't had any issues with the Chargers recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Liliana Escobar spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on one hit and racked up 14 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Madeline Capek was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run. The team also got some help courtesy of Annabel Raftery, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
JSerra Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as El Toro only posted a batting average of .053.
Meanwhile, Aliso Niguel gave up the first runs on Wednesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 7-3 win over Pacifica.
Aliso Niguel also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Amanda Elkins gave up three earned runs on eight hits.
On the hitting side, Aliso Niguel's victory was truly a team effort as eight different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Rylie Long, who scored a run while going 1-for-4. Another was Ella Haugo, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Aliso Niguel is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-4-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. JSerra Catholic's win bumped their record up to 8-3.
Aliso Niguel's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. JSerra Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.5 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Aliso Niguel, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will JSerra Catholic keep running through batters, or will Aliso Niguel buck the trend?
JSerra Catholic beat Aliso Niguel 6-1 when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Will JSerra Catholic repeat their success, or does Aliso Niguel have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
