Softball Game Preview: Le Grand Bulldogs vs. Mariposa County Grizzlies

The Le Grand Bulldogs are taking a road trip to take on the Mariposa County Grizzlies at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. One thing working in Le Grand's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last six matchups.

Le Grand's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They blew past Delhi 19-0. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six contests by ten runs or more this season.

Ava Avila was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aaliyah Ceja, who fired off two home runs, four runs, and two triples while going 4-for-4. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Crystal Manzo was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.

Le Grand kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Meanwhile, Mariposa County sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-7 victory over Denair on Monday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Grizzlies.

Le Grand has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 11.33 hits in those games compared to only 3.67 in the others. Mariposa County now has a winning record of 7-6-1.

Everything went Le Grand's way against Mariposa County in their previous meeting on Tuesday, as Le Grand made off with a 14-2 win. Will Le Grand repeat their success, or does Mariposa County has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.