Softball Game Preview: Elk Grove Thundering Herd vs. Del Oro Golden Eagles

The Elk Grove Thundering Herd will face off against the Del Oro Golden Eagles at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Elk Grove's pitching crew has only allowed three runs per game this season, so Del Oro's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Elk Grove is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to ten runs on Tuesday, they were much more limited against St. Francis on Thursday. They fell 4-1 to the Troubadours.

Elk Grove saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Annabel Focht, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.

Even though they lost, Elk Grove hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Francis struck out six times.

Meanwhile, everything went Del Oro's way against River City on Friday as Del Oro made off with a 20-1 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Golden Eagles.

Mikayla Finn and Ava Messina dominated on the mound. Finn pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits, while Messina pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.

At the plate, Del Oro got a massive performance out of Chloe Champas, who went 4-for-5 with four runs, two stolen bases, and four RBI. The dominant performance gave Champas a new career-high in RBI. Avyn Brower was another key player, going 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, five RBI, and two doubles.

Del Oro's victory bumped their record up to 2-0. As for Elk Grove, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-2.

Elk Grove beat Del Oro 11-6 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Will Elk Grove repeat their success, or does Del Oro have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.