Softball Game Preview: Gila Bend Gila Monsters vs. Paradise Valley Christian Prep Panthers

The Gila Bend Gila Monsters will venture away from home to challenge the Paradise Valley Christian Prep Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Gila Bend took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 10-6 victory over Thunderbird Adventist Academy. The win continues a trend for the Gila Monsters in their matchups with Thunderbird Adventist Academy: they've now won three in a row.

Nadiyah Martinez made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Martinez was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing Three bases. while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Leila Martinez, who scored three runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Aria Enos, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one triple and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Paradise Valley Christian Prep made easy work of Thunderbird Adventist Academy on Wednesday and carried off a 21-7 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.

Gila Bend pushed their record up to 1-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 20.0 runs over those games. As for Paradise Valley Christian Prep, their record now sits at 2-0.

Gila Bend came out on top in a nail-biter against Paradise Valley Christian Prep in their previous meeting back in April of 2017, sneaking past 1-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Gila Bend since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.