Softball Preview: Maricopa Rams vs. Valley Vista Monsoon
The Maricopa Rams will head out on the road to square off against the Valley Vista Monsoon at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Maricopa has seven straight wins, Valley Vista has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Thursday, Maricopa had just enough and edged West Point out 8-7.
Alexandria Armstrong made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched eight innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off 12 hits. Armstrong has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Armstrong was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Maricopa got a massive performance out of Leah Montes, who went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Alanee Calderon was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Valley Vista fell victim to a rough 28-3 defeat at the hands of Shadow Ridge on Thursday.
Valley Vista saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Savanna Gumowski, who scored a run while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Charlyan Durazo, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
Maricopa pushed their record up to 21-3 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs per game. As for Valley Vista, their loss dropped their record down to 8-8.
Monday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Maricopa has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .508. However, it's not like Valley Vista struggles in that department as they've averaged .531. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Maricopa took their win against Valley Vista in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 16-6. Will Maricopa repeat their success, or does Valley Vista have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
