The JSerra Catholic Lions will square off against the Sonora Raiders at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (JSerra Catholic 1.9, Sonora 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
JSerra Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Gahr a 5-0 shutout. The victory was nothing new for the Lions as they're now sitting on three straight.
Liliana Escobar
| 05/15/25 vs Gahr | 15 |
| 05/02/25 vs Mater Dei | 10 |
| 04/29/25 @ Orange Lutheran | 11 |
The result came thanks to Liliana Escobar's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 15 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brooklyn Lamb, who went 2-for-3 with one triple and one run. Annabel Raftery was another key player, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with one stolen base.
Sonora not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since February 18th (when they won 14-1). They blew past Villa Park 8-1. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Bayle Hunnicutt made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. Hunnicutt was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Sonora let Brooke Piwowar and Olivia Rosales run wild. Piwowar went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base, while Rosales went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Those three RBI gave Rosales a new career-high.
JSerra Catholic's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-13. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Sonora, their win bumped their record up to 17-9.
JSerra Catholic skirted past Sonora 5-4 when the teams last played back in March of 2015. Do the Lions have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
