Softball Preview: Sunnyside Blue Devils vs. Red Mountain Mountain Lions
The Sunnyside Blue Devils will head out on the road to challenge the Red Mountain Mountain Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Sunnyside is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
Sunnyside is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Xavier College Prep, who was ranked third in their home state at the time (Sunnyside was ranked 17th). Sunnyside lost 10-0 to Xavier College Prep on Wednesday. Considering the last time Sunnyside couldn't score was back in March, the team can't take the result too hard.
Meanwhile, Red Mountain earned a 6-1 win over Shadow Ridge on Tuesday.
Kendall Cochran spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Sophia Marquez was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Victoria Montenegro, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two doubles.
Sunnyside's loss dropped their record down to 21-8. As for Red Mountain, they are on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 26-3 record this season.
Sunnyside's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. Sunnyside has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Red Mountain, though, as they've been averaging only 1.4. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Sunnyside continue to outrun the ball?
Sunnyside came up short against Red Mountain in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, falling 4-0. Can Sunnyside avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
