Softball Preview: Horizon Hawks vs. Monarch Coyotes
Horizon is 8-1 against Monarch since October of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Horizon Hawks will welcome the Monarch Coyotes at 3:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Monarch is hoping to do what Douglas County couldn't on Saturday: put an end to Horizon's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Horizon put the hurt on Douglas County with a sharp 12-6 victory. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won four contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Kaiya Barela made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off ten hits. The dominant performance gave her a new career- in strikeouts. Barela was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Horizon let Belinda Martinez and Tessa Munsch loose on the outfield. Martinez went 2-for-2 with three RBI, a triple, and a run, while Munsch scored two runs while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryanna Fontes, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Horizon kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.3 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last five matches they've averaged 8.8.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Monarch, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They had just enough and edged Centaurus out 10-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Coyotes have posted since August 20th.
Caroline Katzin was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive pitching appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Kate Church was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4. Another player making a difference was Bailey Adams, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4.
Horizon is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 5-7 record this season. As for Monarch, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
Horizon took their victory against Monarch when the teams last played back in August of 2023 by a conclusive 15-0. Does Horizon have another victory up their sleeve, or will Monarch turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
