The Rancho Verde Mustangs will challenge the Perris Panthers at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Rancho Verde's favor as the squad sits on seven straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Perris has been banged up by 13 consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
On Tuesday, Rancho Verde got the win against Moreno Valley by a conclusive 12-1. The Mustangs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by seven runs or more this season.
Isabelle Sena spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on nine hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Liah Navarro
| 04/08/25 @ Moreno Valley | 5 |
| 03/21/25 @ Arlington | 2 |
| 03/20/25 vs Vista del Lago | 2 |
| 03/10/25 vs Notre Dame | 2 |
| 02/27/25 vs Arroyo Valley | 2 |
At the plate, Liah Navarro was incredible, scoring a run while going 5-for-5. Those five hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Leilani Rivas, who scored two runs while going 3-for-5.
Navarro wasn't the only one making solid contact: Rancho Verde kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 20 hits. The Mustangs are a perfect 7-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Perris came up short against Citrus Hill on Tuesday, falling 15-1. The game marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Perris saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kimberly Santoyo, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Rancho Verde is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Perris, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
Perris' hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Rancho Verde has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Perris, though, as they've been averaging only 4.1 strikeouts. Will Rancho Verde keep running through batters, or will the Panthers buck the trend?
Rancho Verde was able to grind out a solid win over Perris in their previous matchup back in April of 2019, winning 4-0. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
