The Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders will challenge the Otay Ranch Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Mater Dei Catholic will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
On Monday, Mater Dei Catholic sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 victory over Eastlake.
Arri Romero was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Romero was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bella Harris, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and two doubles. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. Lilia Alpuche was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double.
Mater Dei Catholic hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in eight consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Otay Ranch had just enough and edged out Eastlake 2-1 on Friday.
Scarlett Martinez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on seven hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Otay Ranch saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Melania Contreras, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Mater Dei Catholic's win was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Otay Ranch, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-9-1 record this season.
Mater Dei Catholic came out on top in a nail-biter against Otay Ranch when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 5-3. Will the Crusaders repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
