Softball Preview: Cupertino Pioneers vs. Gunn Titans
Cupertino and Gunn are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Cupertino Pioneers will head out on the road to take on the Gunn Titans at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (Cupertino: 3.1, Gunn: 2.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Tuesday, it was a hard-fought match, but Cupertino had to settle for a 4-3 loss against Saratoga.
DJ Martinez put in work while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Martinez has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings every time she's pitched this season. Martinez was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
In other batting news, Dayoung Jung made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 3-for-3. Purani Muthuvedi was another key contributor, getting four hits from her five at bats.
Even though they lost, Cupertino didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with ten strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Saratoga only tossed six.
Meanwhile, Gunn had already won 17 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.1 runs), and they went ahead and made it 18 on Tuesday. They blew past the Matadors 14-4. Gunn might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won 14 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Like Cupertino, Gunn also got a great game from a two-way player: Ruth Jaquette. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Jaquette was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Tess Bogart was incredible, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Claudia Wolff, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three RBI and a triple.
Cupertino's defeat dropped their record down to 12-5. As for Gunn, their win was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cupertino has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gunn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cupertino suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Gunn in their previous matchup back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Gunn's Lauryn Selvaraj, who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. Now that Cupertino knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
