The Capistrano Valley Cougars will take on the Newport Harbor Sailors in a tournament on Saturday. The timing is sure in Capistrano Valley's favor as the team sits on nine straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Newport Harbor has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
Capistrano Valley easily dispatched Edison on Tuesday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. Capistrano Valley fell just short of Villa Park by a score of 6-4 on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Cougars have suffered since February 29, 2024.
Addison Day was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple marked the first that she hit this season. Another player making a difference was Micayla Turi, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Newport Harbor got themselves on the board against Laguna Hills on Monday, but Laguna Hills never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Hawks with a sharp 13-0 win. Fans of the Sailors have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Dominique Bettencourt was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Ally Shaw, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Newport Harbor always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .519. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .519 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Newport Harbor's victory bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Capistrano Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Capistrano Valley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Newport Harbor struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Capistrano Valley couldn't quite finish off Newport Harbor in their previous meeting back in April of 2022 and fell 3-1. Will Capistrano Valley have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
