Softball Game Preview: Gilroy Mustangs vs. Leland Chargers

The Gilroy Mustangs will square off against the Leland Chargers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither Gilroy nor Leland posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Gilroy's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 1-0 victory over Branham. The win continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Bruins: they've now won three in a row.

Not much got past Ariela Yslava, who gave up just six hits and racked up nine Ks to keep Branham off the board.

Meanwhile, Leland lost 14-2 to Ann Sobrato on Tuesday.

Leland saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Irene Kim, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Kim is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Maya Mowji also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.

Gilroy's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-6. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.4 runs on average over those games. As for Leland, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-7 record this season.

Leland's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Gilroy has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Leland, though, as they've been averaging 11.4 hits. Given Gilroy's sizable advantage in that area, the Chargers will need to find a way to close that gap.

Gilroy took their victory against Leland when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 18-2 score. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Chargers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.