The Palo Verde Panthers will square off against the Coronado Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Palo Verde will come into the game with an undefeated record on the line.
Palo Verde is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Centennial, who was ranked fourth at the time (Palo Verde was ranked first). The Panthers never let the Bulldogs get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory on Thursday. Those one runs were actually the fewest the Panthers have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Ava Koenig
| 04/10/25 vs Centennial | 8 |
| 04/07/25 @ Arbor View | 9 |
| 04/03/25 vs Southeast Career Tech | 5 |
| 04/02/25 @ Liberty | 7 |
The result came thanks to Ava Koenig's shutout, as she gave up just five hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Palo Verde saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alexis Kearnes, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI. That double was Kearnes' first of the season.
Meanwhile, Coronado entered their matchup against Liberty on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Cougars lost 12-5 to the Patriots.
Bailey Goldberg made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all five of her plate appearances with one triple, one run, and one double. Alohi Mundon was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one triple.
Palo Verde pushed their record up to 12-0 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Coronado, their loss dropped their record down to 11-9.
Coronado's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Palo Verde has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Coronado, though, as they've been averaging only 2 strikeouts. Will Palo Verde keep running through batters, or will the Cougars buck the trend?
Palo Verde suffered a grim 15-4 defeat to Coronado in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
