The Rancho Cucamonga Cougars will take on the Sultana Sultans at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
The home team had won the previous five meetings between Rancho Cucamonga and Kaiser, and Rancho Cucamonga kept the tradition alive. Rancho Cucamonga was the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over Kaiser on Monday. The win was some much needed relief for the Cougars as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Natalie Carmona
| 03/03/25 vs Kaiser | 5 |
| 02/25/25 vs Kaiser | 4 |
| 02/18/25 @ Claremont | 3 |
| 04/23/24 vs St. Lucy's | 3 |
| 04/15/24 @ Los Osos | 2 |
Natalie Carmona spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on three hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
On the hitting side, Anaya Burley was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI. That RBI was her first of the season.
Rancho Cucamonga was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kaiser only posted a batting average of .200.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Sultana). They blew past Victor Valley 12-1 on Monday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Savannah Vanderpool made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). That's the first time she hasn't allowed a single hit since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Sultana got a massive performance out of Avery Rodriguez, who fired off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Jordan Mullinax, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and four runs.
Sultana pushed their record up to 4-2 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Rancho Cucamonga, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Wednesday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Rancho Cucamonga has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .440. However, it's not like Sultana struggles in that department as they've averaged .513. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
