Softball Game Preview: Santa Ana Saints vs. Oxford Academy Patriots

Santa Ana hasn't had much luck against Oxford Academy recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Santa Ana Saints are taking a road trip to square off against the Oxford Academy Patriots at 3:15 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Oxford Academy will be up against a hot Santa Ana squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Santa Ana was the clear victors by an 18-7 margin over Century on Monday.

Meanwhile, Oxford Academy got themselves on the board against Whitney on Thursday, but Whitney never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 7-0 win. The Patriots haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

The result came thanks to Emily Ganguly's shutout, as she gave up just three hits.

On the hitting side, Daniela Perez was incredible, scoring a run and stealing Three bases. while going 3-for-4. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February. Danelia Paniagua was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.

Santa Ana's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1-1. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.7 runs over those games. As for Oxford Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 12-2.

Santa Ana suffered a grim 20-2 defeat to Oxford Academy in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can Santa Ana avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.