Softball Game Preview: Verdugo Hills Dons vs. Poly Parrots

The Verdugo Hills Dons will face off against the Poly Parrots at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Poly took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Verdugo Hills, who comes in off a win.

The scorekeeper got an easy start on Thursday as neither Verdugo Hills nor Arleta made it on the board until the seventh inning. The Dons skirted past the Mustangs 2-1. The victory was some much needed relief for the Dons as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.

Madesyn Meadows spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Verdugo Hills saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Riley Reinsch, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one double. That's the most hits Reinsch has posted since back in March. Another was Bella Garibay, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.

Verdugo Hills hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Arleta struck out 12 times.

Meanwhile, Poly lost 14-4 to Chavez on Friday. The Parrots haven't had much luck with the Eagles recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.

Poly's loss dropped their record down to 8-12. As for Verdugo Hills, their win bumped their record up to 6-10-1.

Poly's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Verdugo Hills has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Poly, though, as they've been averaging only 3.4 strikeouts. Will Verdugo Hills keep running through batters, or will the Parrots buck the trend?

Everything went Verdugo Hills' way against Poly when the teams last played two weeks ago, as Verdugo Hills made off with a 15-3 victory. Will the Dons repeat their success, or do the Parrots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.