Softball Game Preview: Mission Oak Hawks vs. Reedley Pirates

The Mission Oak Hawks will challenge the Reedley Pirates at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Mission Oak is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.

Having struggled with six defeats in a row, Mission Oak turned things around against Sunnyside on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 15-4 margin over the Wildcats. The Hawks not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since March 7th.

Kim Cortez

Hits (Career)

03/25/25 @ Sunnyside	4
03/08/25 vs Reedley	2
03/07/25 @ Sierra Pacific	2
03/16/24 vs Chavez	2
03/05/24 @ Lindsay	2

Mission Oak got a massive performance out of Kim Cortez, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI and one double. Those four hits gave Cortez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Braelyn Serpa, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.

Mission Oak always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, Reedley hadn't done well against Sanger recently (they were 0-5 in their previous five matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Reedley narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Sanger 3-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Pirates.

Liliana Rodriguez made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned run off seven hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Mission Oak's victory bumped their record up to 6-7-1. As for Reedley, they now have a winning record of 5-4.

Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Mission Oak hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. However, it's not like Reedley struggles in that department as they've averaged .325. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.

Everything went Mission Oak's way against Reedley in their previous meeting on March 8th, as Mission Oak made off with a 12-4 win. Will Mission Oak repeat their success, or does Reedley has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.