Softball Recap: Palo Alto Vikings vs. Santa Clara Bruins
Palo Alto entered their tilt with Santa Clara with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Santa Clara Bruins 9-8. For Palo Alto, this counts as revenge for the 15-5 loss Santa Clara walked away with the last time they faced one another back in May of 2023.
Kira Tzeng was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over five innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Tzeng has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in five consecutive pitching appearances. Tzeng was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Alana Chun, who scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last three games she's played. Kensie Pao was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
On Santa Clara's side, Chloe Boyes '26 made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Cita (Analisa) Chavez '26, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Palo Alto's victory bumped their record up to 4-5-1. As for Santa Clara, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-6.
Palo Alto will look to defend their home field on Thursday against Saratoga at 4:00 p.m. Saratoga's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Palo Alto's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Santa Clara, they will head out on the road to challenge Lynbrook at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Santa Clara is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
