Softball Preview: San Jacinto Tigers vs. Liberty Bison
San Jacinto is on a six-game streak of home wins, while Liberty is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The San Jacinto Tigers will take on the Liberty Bison at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Tuesday, San Jacinto made easy work of West Valley and carried off a 22-1 victory.
Maritza Soto and Selena Gallegos were a major factor no matter where they played. On the mound, Soto tossed two innings while giving up no earned run off one hit (she also didn't allow any walks). Meanwhile, Gallegos pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (she also didn't allow any walks). At the plate, Soto scored two runs while going 3-for-4, while Gallegos went 4-for-5 with four runs, five RBI, and a stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Keyera Cameron, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, six RBI, and three runs. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last three times she's played. Brandi San Nicolas was another key contributor, scoring three runs while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Liberty got themselves on the board against Perris on Tuesday, but Perris never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Panthers with a sharp 20-0 win.
Like San Jacinto, Liberty also got a great game from a two-way player: Andi Clabough. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (she also didn't allow any walks). Clabough was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-1.
In other batting news, Julianna Larson was incredible, going 2-for-2 with a home run, three RBI, and a double. Another player making a difference was Jolie Tompkins, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
San Jacinto is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. As for Liberty, their victory bumped their record up to 12-5.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. San Jacinto has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .469. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've averaged .501. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
San Jacinto suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to Liberty when the teams last played back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Liberty's Janessa Giugliano, who struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Now that San Jacinto knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
