Softball Game Preview: St. Ignatius College Preparatory Wildcats vs. Mills Vikings

St. Ignatius College Preparatory has gone a perfect 4-0 against Mills recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Wildcats will challenge the Vikings at 4:00 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: St. Ignatius College Preparatory has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Mills will arrive with four straight wins.

St. Ignatius College Preparatory fell victim to Valley Christian and their airtight pitching crew two weeks ago. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Warriors. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Olivia Dollard

Batters Struck Out

04/11/25 @ Valley Christian	5
04/09/25 vs Archbishop Mitty	8
04/04/25 @ Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory	8

Olivia Dollard spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on five hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

Meanwhile, Mills made easy work of Menlo-Atherton on Thursday and carried off a 16-1 victory. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by seven runs or more this season.

Lucy Esquivel was incredible, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Audrey Jang, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two doubles and two RBI.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Mills kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive contests.

St. Ignatius College Preparatory's defeat dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Mills, their win bumped their record up to 14-3-1.

Everything went St. Ignatius College Preparatory's way against Mills in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, as St. Ignatius College Preparatory made off with a 7-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.