Softball Game Preview: Willow Canyon Wildcats vs. Sunrise Mountain Mustangs

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Previous Games

04/11/24 - Away	11-1 W
04/03/24 - Home	12-0 W
04/13/23 - Home	10-0 W
03/06/23 - Away	12-0 W
03/04/22 - Away	14-0 W
+ 2 more games

Willow Canyon is a perfect 7-0 against Sunrise Mountain since February of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. Willow Canyon will take on Sunrise Mountain at 3:45 p.m. Willow Canyon will be strutting in after a win while Sunrise Mountain will be coming in after a defeat.

While Willow Canyon's victory against Sunnyslope wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Willow Canyon had just enough and edged out Sunnyslope 11-9. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won three in a row.

Ari Edwards was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs. Those two hits gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Caylee Walding, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.

Willow Canyon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. They are 4-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Sunrise Mountain's good fortune finally ran out last Saturday. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Gila Ridge.

Mackenzie Catalanotte spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on ten hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Sunrise Mountain saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Anisa Garcia, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.

Willow Canyon pushed their record up to 7-5-1 with the victory, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Sunrise Mountain, their loss dropped their record down to 9-5.

Willow Canyon took their victory against Sunrise Mountain when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1. Will Willow Canyon repeat their success, or does Sunrise Mountain has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.