Softball Game Preview: Del Norte Nighthawks vs. San Marcos Knights

The Del Norte Nighthawks will face off against the San Marcos Knights at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The last six games Del Norte has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Del Norte fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Mission Hills on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Grizzlies by a score of 5-4. That's two games in a row now that the Nighthawks have lost by just one run.

Lainey LLamas made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and fired off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexis Kyles, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple.

Meanwhile, San Marcos entered their contest against Rancho Bernardo on Wednesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Knights lost 10-1 to the Broncos.

Emily Lew was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one triple and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Isabella Velasco, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.

San Marcos' loss dropped their record down to 11-8. As for Del Norte, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-8-1.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Del Norte hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like San Marcos struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.

Del Norte came up short against San Marcos in their previous matchup back in March, falling 3-0. Will the Nighthawks 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.