Softball Game Preview: Piedmont Hills Pirates vs. Del Mar Dons

The Piedmont Hills Pirates will head out on the road to take on the Del Mar Dons at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Neither of those teams managed to put together many runs in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.

While Piedmont Hills' win against Lincoln wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Pirates sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over the Lions on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Pirates have posted against the Lions since May 12, 2022.

Ava Martinez tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Piedmont Hills' victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Ava Delagrande, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, Del Mar was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat. They came up short against Christopher, falling 12-0.

Piedmont Hills is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Del Mar, their loss dropped their record down to 1-8.

Del Mar's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Piedmont Hills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .354. It's a different story for Del Mar, though, as they've only averaged .181. Will they be able to contain Piedmont Hills' hitters?

Piedmont Hills took their victory against Del Mar in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 10-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.