Softball Game Preview: Clayton Valley Charter Ugly Eagles vs. Acalanes Dons

The Clayton Valley Charter Ugly Eagles will head out to square off against the Acalanes Dons at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Neither Clayton Valley Charter nor Acalanes posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Northgate hit Clayton Valley Charter with a five-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Ugly Eagles came up short against the Broncos, falling 9-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Ugly Eagles have suffered since March 27th.

Izabella Holt was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Acalanes was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They fell 5-1 to Alhambra.

Acalanes saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Maya Shoenhair, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that Shoenhair has snagged this season.

Clayton Valley Charter's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-7-1. As for Acalanes, they now have a losing record of 9-10.

Acalanes' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Clayton Valley Charter has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Acalanes, though, as they've been averaging 8.9 hits. Given Clayton Valley Charter's sizable advantage in that area, the Dons will need to find a way to close that gap.

Clayton Valley Charter took their win against Acalanes in their previous meeting two weeks ago by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ugly Eagles since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.