Softball Game Preview: Elsinore Tigers vs. West Valley Mustangs

The Elsinore Tigers will face off against the West Valley Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Elsinore is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.

Elsinore's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Tahquitz 9-0. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Titans recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.

Breann Lipold made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with one run and one RBI.

In other batting news, Jaycee Hullar was incredible, going 3-for-5 with three runs and one triple. Another player making a difference was Haylie Box, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and one RBI.

Meanwhile, West Valley fell victim to Temescal Canyon and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They lost 25-0 to the Titans. The loss continues a trend for the Mustangs in their meetings with the Titans: they've now lost four in a row.

Elsinore's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-6. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for West Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-7.

West Valley's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Elsinore has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.1 hits per game. It's a different story for West Valley, though, as they've been averaging 11.6 hits. Given Elsinore's sizable advantage in that area, the Mustangs will need to find a way to close that gap.

Elsinore took their victory against West Valley in their previous meeting back in March of 2022 by a conclusive 17-2 score. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.