Softball Preview: Cienega Bobcats vs. Willow Canyon Wildcats
The Cienega Bobcats will head out on the road to face off against the Willow Canyon Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Willow Canyon is hoping to do on Tuesday what Ironwood Ridge couldn't on Saturday: put an end to Cienega's winning streak, which now stands at six games. Cienega never let Ironwood Ridge onto the board and left with an 8-0 win. Cienega's pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three games.
Maya Fimbres tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit over 5.2 innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Andreca Garcia, who went 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI, and a run. The team also got some help courtesy of Valerie Rodriguez, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and a triple.
Meanwhile, Willow Canyon had already won 13 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.2 runs), and they went ahead and made it 14 on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 12-1 margin over the Stampede.
Willow Canyon also got a great performance from Aubrey Kautman as she struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk).
On the hitting side, Harmony Andrade was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with a home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI. Olivia DeFord was another key contributor, going 1-for-2 with two runs, a triple, and a stolen base.
Cienega has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 15 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 20-6 record this season. As for Willow Canyon, their victory was their 11th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-7.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Cienega hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .426. However, it's not like Willow Canyon struggles in that department as they've averaged .410. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cienega might still be hurting after the 9-0 loss they got from Willow Canyon in their previous meeting back in March of 2023. Thankfully for Cienega, Marissa McCann (who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 14 over six innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
