Softball Game Preview: Polytechnic Panthers vs. Maranatha Minutemen

The Polytechnic Panthers are taking a road trip to square off against the Maranatha Minutemen at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Maranatha took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Polytechnic, who comes in off a win.

Last Thursday, everything went Polytechnic's way against Brentwood School as Polytechnic made off with an 18-2 win.

Ellery Engstrom

Batters Struck Out (Career)

02/27/25 vs Brentwood School	9
04/11/24 @ Flintridge Prep	8
02/27/24 @ San Gabriel	6
04/25/24 @ Westridge	5
04/22/24 vs Mayfield	5

Ellery Engstrom made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits (and not a single walk). The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.

In other batting news, Brynn Connolly and Eila Chan did most of the damage at the plate: Connolly scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances, while Chan went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Connolly is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stole at least one in each of the last seven games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Xiya Shively, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, Maranatha was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their 14th straight defeat dating back to last season. They lost 21-1 to Westridge.

Polytechnic took their victory against Maranatha when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 10-1. Will Polytechnic repeat their success, or does Maranatha have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.