Westridge will take on Ramona Convent at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The timing isn't great for Westridge: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home, while Ramona Convent has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.
Rio Hondo Prep hit Westridge with a 13-run sixth inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Tigers lost 19-9 to the Kares.
Marysa Ybarra made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Danika Vargas was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last matchup, Ramona Convent made sure to put some runs up on the board against Serra on Tuesday. The Tigers blew past the Cavaliers 26-3.
Madison Garcia made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in February. She was even better at the plate, firing off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 4-for-4.
In other batting news, Ramona Convent let Delicia Murillo and Rosie Rosales run wild. Murillo got on base in four of her six plate appearances with seven stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Rosales got on base in four of her five plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and three RBI. Those four runs gave Rosales a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Abigail Vazquez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple.
Ramona Convent always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .708. They are a perfect 10-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Ramona Convent has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Westridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7-1.
Ramona Convent's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Westridge has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Ramona Convent, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Westridge keep running through batters, or will Ramona Convent buck the trend?
Westridge came out on top in a nail-biter against Ramona Convent in their previous matchup back in March of 2016, sneaking past 13-12. Will Westridge repeat their success, or does Ramona Convent has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
