The Rancho Cotate Cougars will head out to take on the Cardinal Newman Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Rancho Cotate is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
Rancho Cotate had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Analy on Tuesday. The Cougars blew past the Tigers 15-5. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Jessica Wilmes
| 05/06/25 vs Analy | 7 |
| 04/08/25 @ Antioch | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Maria Carrillo | 1 |
| 04/17/25 @ Analy | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Windsor | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Jessica Wilmes, who went 3-for-5 with seven RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those seven RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lily Alvis, who went 4-for-5 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Rancho Cotate always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .650. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Newman waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with eight straight wins... but they left with nine. They came out on top against the Jets by a score of 4-1.
Callie Howard spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Cardinal Newman's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Mia Robinson, who went 1-for-4 with one RBI. Sloane Burke was another, getting on base in two of her three plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Cardinal Newman's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-6. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Rancho Cotate, their record is now 9-12.
Both Rancho Cotate and Cardinal Newman just can't seem to miss. The Cougars have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Newman struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.2 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rancho Cotate suffered a grim 15-1 defeat to Cardinal Newman in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
