The Salinas Cowboys will face off against the King's Academy Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Salinas 2.5, King's Academy 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Salinas is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top against Casa Grande by a score of 5-2.
Abi Jones spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Kelsie Domenighini was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples, two runs, and two RBI. Those two triples gave her a new career-high.
Meanwhile, King's Academy waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with 12 straight wins... but they left with 13. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Lions. That's two games straight that the Knights have won by just one run.
Katia Nesper was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in 17 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mia Bennette, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Sophie Giles was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Salinas is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-8 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for King's Academy, they pushed their record up to 22-7 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road.
King's Academy's pitching crew better be locked in on Thursday. Salinas hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. It's a different story for King's Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 0 home runs. Will they be able to keep Salinas in the park?
Salinas skirted past King's Academy 2-0 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Cowboys repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
