Softball Preview: Big Valley Christian Lions vs. Buckingham Charter Knights
The Big Valley Christian Lions will take on the Buckingham Charter Knights at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a 11-game winning streak alive.
Big Valley Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Everything went their way against Foresthill as Big Valley Christian made off with a 14-0 win. Big Valley Christian might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won 12 games by seven runs or more this season.
Ava Hernandez made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Hernandez has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive pitching appearances. Hernandez was also big at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI.
In other batting news, Morgan Merzon was excellent, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances. Kailey Rivera was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Charter had just enough and edged Millennium out 5-3 on Thursday.
Like Big Valley Christian, Buckingham Charter also got a great game from a two-way player: Haley Griffin. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Griffin was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Jordan Walberg was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and a run.
Big Valley Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 15 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 20-6-1 record this season. As for Buckingham Charter, their record now sits at 12-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Big Valley Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Buckingham Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.1. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Big Valley Christian skirted past Buckingham Charter 4-2 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Will Big Valley Christian repeat their success, or does Buckingham Charter have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
