Softball Preview: River City Raiders vs. Laguna Creek Cardinals
River City and Laguna Creek are an even 4-4-1 against one another since March of 2019, but likely not for long. The River City Raiders will head out on the road to take on the Laguna Creek Cardinals at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
River City was handed a ten-point defeat in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against McClatchy on Friday. River City sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 victory over McClatchy. The win was just what River City needed coming off of a 10-0 loss in their prior contest.
Salina Huizar spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on 13 hits. Those seven innings set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Julia Medina, who scored a run and stole five bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Emily San Jose, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, Laguna Creek was able to grind out a solid victory over Kennedy on Friday, taking the game 4-1.
Laguna Creek also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Sarah Hanf gave up one run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up 13 Ks. Hanf has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Ariel Burton was excellent, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Isabel Castro was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
River City's record is now 5-6-1. As for Laguna Creek, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a massive bump to their 6-6 record this season.
Tuesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. River City has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .436. However, it's not like Laguna Creek struggles in that department as they've averaged .431. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
River City suffered a grim 18-7 defeat to Laguna Creek in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can River City avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
