Softball Recap: Rivera Takes a Loss

If Rivera was riding high fresh off their 12-0 takedown of Donna North last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Rivera Raiders lost 9-2 to the Mercedes Tigers on Tuesday. The Raiders were not able to make up for their loss to the Tigers from their previous meeting back in February of 2019.

Ariel Allen made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Dezaray Banda, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.

Allen wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Rivera kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That's a new trend for Rivera: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 10.4.

Rivera has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost six of their last eight contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-9 record this season. The win (which was Mercedes' third in a row) raised their record to 8-5.

Coming up, Rivera will challenge Pace at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Mercedes, they will square off against Lopez at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Mercedes' pitching crew has only allowed three runs per game this season, so Lopez's hitters will have their work cut out for them.