The Notre Dame Tigers will head out on the road to challenge the Menlo-Atherton Bears at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Notre Dame will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
The Tigers proved they can win big on Tuesday (they won by ten) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past the Regents 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Tigers have posted since March 3rd.
Allison Lui made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 13 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Juliette Ramirez was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Menlo-Atherton made sure to put some runs up on the board against Half Moon Bay last Wednesday. The Bears blew past the Cougars 11-1. Considering the Bears have won six matches by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Notre Dame, Menlo-Atherton also got a great game from a two-way player: Gracy Nava. She didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Nava was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Menlo-Atherton let Carey Maletis and Juliana Pandolfo run wild. Maletis went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs, while Pandolfo scored two runs and stole four bases while going 3-for-3. Those four stolen bases gave Pandolfo a new career-high. Emma Loose was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
Menlo-Atherton kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Half Moon Bay only managed seven hits.
Menlo-Atherton is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for the Tigers, their record is now 12-3-1.
Menlo-Atherton's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Notre Dame has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Menlo-Atherton, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.1 strikeouts. Will Notre Dame keep running through batters, or will the Bears buck the trend? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
