The Gilroy Mustangs will challenge the Palma Chieftains at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Gilroy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
While Gilroy's victory against Westmont wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Mustangs' pitcher stepped up to hand the Warriors a 1-0 shutout on Tuesday. The win continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won three in a row.
Ariela Yslava
| 04/15/25 @ Westmont | 13 |
| 04/08/25 vs Hollister | 5 |
| 04/03/25 vs Willow Glen | 9 |
| 03/27/25 vs Ann Sobrato | 9 |
| 03/20/25 vs Branham | 8 |
| + 6 more games |
Not much got past Ariela Yslava, who gave up just three hits and racked up 13 Ks to keep Westmont off the board. Yslava has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 11 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jennie Hernandez, who went 1-for-3 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Dani Wilson, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base.
Gilroy hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Westmont struck out 13 times.
Meanwhile, Palma earned a 7-2 victory over North Salinas on Wednesday.
Sophia Cardinale was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits (and only one walk). Cardinale was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. She also brought in an RBI, marking her first of the season.
In other batting news, Brianna Hernandez was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Those hits marked the first that she got this season. Ashlyn Urmanita was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Gilroy's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-4. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Palma, their win bumped their record up to 4-7.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Gilroy hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Palma struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
