Softball Game Preview: San Simon Longhorns vs. Superior Panthers

The San Simon Longhorns are taking a road trip to square off against the Superior Panthers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. San Simon has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with six straight defeats, while Superior will come in with five straight victories.

San Simon lost 18-4 to Duncan on Monday.

18 must be Superior's lucky number: they beat Fort Thomas with that score not once but twice on Friday. The Panthers put the hurt on the Apaches with a sharp 18-1 win. Considering the Panthers have won eight games by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Alyna Cruz was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, Faith Denogean and Stephanie Lopez did most of the damage at the plate: Denogean scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Lopez scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-5. Lopez has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Lilliana Fritz, who scored three runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.

San Simon's loss dropped their record down to 1-9. As for Superior, their record is now 10-5.