The Rancho Verde Mustangs will venture away from home to take on the Arlington Lions at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Rancho Verde is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
Rancho Verde had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Vista del Lago on Thursday. Everything went Rancho Verde's way against Vista del Lago as Rancho Verde made off with a 13-3 victory. The Mustangs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by ten runs or more this season.
Jaylen Anderson
| 03/20/25 vs Vista del Lago | 2 |
| 03/10/25 vs Notre Dame | 1 |
| 02/28/25 @ Jurupa Valley | 1 |
Rancho Verde got a massive performance out of Jaylen Anderson, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3. Anderson has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Sadie Menendez also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Rancho Verde always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Vista del Lago only posted an OBP of .269.
Meanwhile, Arlington unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Thursday. They came up short against Orange Vista, falling 9-3.
Arlington saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Juliana Kittelson, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI. Ryleigh Pliego was another, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases.
Rancho Verde pushed their record up to 6-2 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Arlington, they suffered their first home defeat, dropping their record down to 5-3.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Rancho Verde hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .378. However, it's not like Arlington struggles in that department as they've averaged .324. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rancho Verde suffered a grim 18-2 defeat to Arlington when the teams last played back in March of 2020. Can Rancho Verde avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
