The La Jolla Country Day Torreys will take on the Liberty Charter Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
La Jolla Country Day is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let El Cajon Valley get on the board and left with a 21-0 win on Wednesday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Torreys needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.
Ayla Desai made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, La Jolla Country Day let Mia Heppner and Allegra Grezemkovsky run wild. Heppner got on base in four of her five plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI, while Grezemkovsky got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That's the most stolen bases Heppner has posted since back in March. Emma Buberl was another key player, going 1-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
La Jolla Country Day kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Liberty Charter entered their tilt with Ocean View Christian on Thursday with nine consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with ten. They put the hurt on the Patriots with a sharp 24-8 victory. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won ten games by six runs or more so far this season.
Layla Montgomery made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off two hits. Montgomery was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of her five plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaiya McKay, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, five runs, and six RBI. That home run was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Samantha McHenry, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs.
Liberty Charter's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-7. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.5 runs over those games. As for La Jolla Country Day, their win bumped their record up to 8-13.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. La Jolla Country Day hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .342. However, it's not like Liberty Charter struggles in that department as they've averaged .346. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
