Softball Preview: Valencia Tigers vs. Pacifica Mariners
Valencia has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Pacifica Mariners at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Valencia was handed a nine-point defeat in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against Troy on Monday. Valencia narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Troy 4-2. The win was just what Valencia needed coming off of a 12-3 loss in their prior game.
Katelynn Hildreth looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ariana Rizo, who went 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, and a double. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia Avina, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Pacifica stacked a ninth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Cypress a 7-0 shutout. The victory was familiar territory for Pacifica who now have three in a row.
Kaniya Bragg and Annika Sogsti did most of the damage at the plate: Bragg scored a run while going 2-for-3, while Sogsti went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Delaina Maae was another key contributor, going 3-for-3 with two RBI.
The win got Valencia back to even at 11-11. As for Pacifica, they pushed their record up to 18-2 with that victory, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Valencia 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 Pacifica struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.7. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Valencia might still be hurting after the 13-0 defeat they got from Pacifica in their previous matchup back in March. Can Valencia avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
