The Aliso Niguel Wolverines will head out on the road to face off against the JSerra Catholic Lions at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Aliso Niguel gave up the first runs on Wednesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 7-3 victory over Pacifica.
Amanda Elkins spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on eight hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Aliso Niguel's win was truly a team effort as eight different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Rylie Long, who scored a run while going 1-for-4. Another was Ella Haugo, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, JSerra Catholic won against Rio Rancho on Saturday with six runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Saturday. JSerra Catholic came out on top against El Toro by a score of 6-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Lions.
JSerra Catholic also let their pitcher toss all six innings played and she was also dialed-in: Liliana Escobar gave up only one earned run on one hit and racked up 14 Ks.
At the plate, Madeline Capek was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run. Lauren Gaitley also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
JSerra Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as El Toro only posted a batting average of .053.
Aliso Niguel has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-4-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.7 runs over those games. JSerra Catholic's record is now 8-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Aliso Niguel hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like JSerra Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Aliso Niguel came up short against JSerra Catholic in their previous matchup back in March of 2023, falling 6-1. Can Aliso Niguel avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
