Softball Game Preview: University City Centurions vs. Canyon Hills Rattlers

The University City Centurions will face off against the Canyon Hills Rattlers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

University City took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They came out on top against Mira Mesa by a score of 5-1.

Aliyah Padilla

Base on Balls Against

05/06/25 vs Mira Mesa	2
05/01/25 @ Scripps Ranch	1
04/28/25 vs Olympian	1

Aliyah Padilla spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Alyssa Castillo, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Audrey Forde also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.

Meanwhile, Canyon Hills hadn't done well against Clairemont recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Rattlers won by a run and slipped past the Chieftains 3-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Rattlers.

Canyon Hills also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Natalye Debus gave up only one earned (and one unearned) run on three hits and racked up ten Ks.

At the plate, Canyon Hills saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zorah Shoate, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

University City is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-14-1 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Canyon Hills, they pushed their record up to 14-7 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.

University City couldn't quite get it done against Canyon Hills in their previous matchup two weeks ago as they fell 4-0. Will the Centurions have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.