Softball Preview: Oakmont Vikings vs. Ponderosa Bruins
Oakmont and Ponderosa are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2018, but likely not for long. The Oakmont Vikings will be playing in front of their home fans against the Ponderosa Bruins at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Oakmont took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 win over Bear River.
Emilee Monell spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Addison Turner, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Ponderosa stacked a ninth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. They never let Placer onto the board and left with a 19-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for Ponderosa.
Haley Warney and Chase Mueller made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Warney struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Mueller tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At the plate, Warney scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Mueller went 4-for-5 with six RBI, four runs, and a triple.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brynn Escobar, who scored four runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Iris Perez, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Oakmont's win bumped their record up to 9-11. As for Ponderosa, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups, which somehow isn't as good as their 13-4 record this season.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Oakmont hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Ponderosa struggles in that department as they've averaged .408. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Oakmont suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Ponderosa when the teams last played on April 10th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Mueller, who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. Now that Oakmont knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
