Softball Game Preview: Sierra Vista Dons vs. Nogales Nobles

vs

Previous Games

04/24/24 - Home	18-1 W
03/22/24 - Away	19-1 W
04/25/23 - Home	13-1 W
04/06/23 - Away	17-0 W
04/26/22 - Away	5-15 L
+ 5 more games

Sierra Vista is 8-2 against Nogales since March of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Sierra Vista Dons will be playing at home against the Nogales Nobles at 3:30 p.m. Sierra Vista's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Nogales' hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Last Tuesday, Sierra Vista beat Azusa 5-1. The victory continues a trend for the Dons in their matchups with the Aztecs: they've now won four in a row.

Marlene Diaz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Aleena Mora, who scored a run and stole a base while going 5-for-5. She also brought in an RBI, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Ariana Gutierrez, who scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-3.

Mora wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Sierra Vista kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.

Meanwhile, Nogales was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They came up short against Los Altos, falling 11-0.

Sierra Vista's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-3. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 11.33 hits in those games compared to only 4.75 in the others. As for Nogales, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-7.

Everything went Sierra Vista's way against Nogales in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Sierra Vista made off with an 18-1 victory. Will Sierra Vista repeat their success, or does Nogales have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.