The Parkland Matadors will venture away from home to challenge the El Dorado Aztecs at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Parkland is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
Parkland is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 11 runs on Wednesday, they were much more limited against Del Valle on Friday. They fell 5-2 to the Conquistadores. The Matadors haven't had much luck with the Conquistadores recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.
Devyn Rodriguez was huge no matter where she played even without the win. On the mound, she tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. That's the fewest earned runs she has allowed since back in February. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Rodriguez wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Faith Avila, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask El Dorado). They blew past Horizon 22-0 on Friday. The Aztecs have beaten the Scorpions the last nine times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Scorpions has come to flipping the script.
Like Parkland, El Dorado also got a great game from a two-way player: Sophia Lujan. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Lujan has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Alejandra Chavez, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three stolen bases, and five RBI. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Carmen Vargas, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
El Dorado's record is now 18-8. As for Parkland, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-13.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Parkland hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .407. However, it's not like El Dorado struggles in that department as they've averaged .462. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Parkland came out on top in a nail-biter against El Dorado when the teams last played two weeks ago, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Matadors since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
