Softball Preview: Paramount Pirates vs. Norwalk Lancers
The Paramount Pirates will head out on the road to take on the Norwalk Lancers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Paramount comes in on nine and Norwalk on three.
Paramount is headed into the contest fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Dominguez a 24-0 shutout on Tuesday. Paramount might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won seven matches by ten runs or more this season.
Laritza Esparza was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Esparza has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Esparza was even better at the plate, scoring five runs and stealing nine bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Paramount let Daniela Flores and Juliet Estrada loose on the outfield. Flores got on base in four of her five plate appearances with five stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI, while Estrada scored four runs and stole nine bases while going 1-for-1. Mariana De LA O was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing five bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Norwalk put the finishing touches on their tenth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by an 18-1 margin over Firebaugh.
Like Paramount, Norwalk also got a great game from a two-way player: Jalynn Banda. She struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Banda was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kendall Nakano, who fired off three home runs, six RBI, and four runs while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Jennifer Ortiz, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Paramount pushed their record up to 11-7 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Norwalk, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-8 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Paramount has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Norwalk struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Paramount came out on top in a nail-biter against Norwalk in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 4-3. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Banda, who struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Paramount still be able to contain Banda? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
