Softball Game Preview: San Luis Sidewinders vs. Verrado Vipers

The San Luis Sidewinders will head out to square off against the Verrado Vipers at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. San Luis has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with three straight losses, while Verrado will come in with eight straight wins.

San Luis lost 9-1 to Millennium on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Verrado had just enough and edged out Tolleson 6-4 on Monday.

Jill Ryan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on eight hits and racked up eight Ks. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.1 strikeouts per game.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kylie Bates, who went 1-for-2 with four RBI and one double. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Faith Grabau also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.

Verrado hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tolleson struck out eight times.

Verrado pushed their record up to 8-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for San Luis, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-7.