Carondelet hasn't had much luck against California recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Cougars will venture away from home to take on the Grizzlies at 4:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Thursday.
Carondelet had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Foothill on Tuesday. The Cougars never let the Falcons get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The victory was nothing new for the Cougars as they're now sitting on four straight.
Carondelet got a great performance from Maia Scholtens as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched.
At the plate, Anna Gustafson was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Myleiana Lopez, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Carondelet always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Foothill only posted an OBP of .300.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask California). They were the clear victors by an 18-7 margin over Dublin on Tuesday. The Grizzlies might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matches by six runs or more this season.
Audrey Cotton looked comfortable as she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, California got a massive performance out of Jayda Crosby, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. Those four RBI gave Crosby a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hailey King, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four runs, and two doubles.
California has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.4 runs over those games. As for Carondelet, they pushed their record up to 12-11 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Carondelet hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .318. However, it's not like California struggles in that department as they've averaged .375. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Carondelet might still be hurting after the 10-3 defeat they got from California in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
