Softball Preview: Cienega Bobcats vs. Buena Colts
Cienega is 8-2 against Buena since April of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Cienega Bobcats will head out on the road to square off against the Buena Colts at 4:00 p.m. Cienega's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Buena's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Cienega can now show off 13 landslide victories after their most recent match on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Nogales with a sharp 19-0 victory. While fans of Cienega might be used to big wins, the 19-run margin marked the team's biggest one yet.
Kylie Bristol looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Cienega let Alli Mullen and Lanessa Morales loose on the outfield. Mullen went 4-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and four RBI, while Morales went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Micaela Valenzuela, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Buena came up short against Desert View on Tuesday and fell 8-3.
Buena saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zoe Eckler, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Cienega pushed their record up to 16-6 with that win, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Buena, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-15.
Buena's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Cienega has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Buena, though, as they've been averaging only 3.2. Will Cienega keep running through batters, or will Buena buck the trend?
Cienega took their victory against Buena in their previous meeting last Tuesday by a conclusive 11-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cienega since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
