The Carmel Padres will head out to square off against the Alisal Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Carmel's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Soledad. Winning may never get old, but the Padres sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Ava Mangiapane made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over five innings pitched. Mangiapane was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Kristen Mastin
| 05/13/25 vs Soledad | 3 |
| 05/06/25 @ Greenfield | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Stevenson | 2 |
| 03/21/25 @ King City | 2 |
| 03/18/25 @ North Monterey County | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kristen Mastin, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ava Staehle, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Carmel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .520. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .342 or higher in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Alisal ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They put the hurt on King City with a sharp 8-2 victory. The win was nothing new for the Trojans as they're now sitting on four straight.
Like Carmel, Alisal also got a great game from a two-way player: Nevaeh Lopez. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over eight innings pitched. Lopez has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs.
Lopez wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Iliana Cruz, who went 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Carmelina Esquiviez was another, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Alisal pushed their record up to 18-5 with the victory, which was their ninth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Carmel, their record is now 18-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Carmel has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Alisal struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Carmel came up short against Alisal when the teams last played back in April, falling 5-2. Can the Padres avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
