Softball Game Preview: Hilltop Lancers vs. Sweetwater Red Devils

Hilltop is a perfect 10-0 against Sweetwater since May of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Lancers will welcome the Red Devils at 3:30 p.m. Hilltop will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.

Hilltop is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Castle Park 13-1 on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Lancers in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won six in a row.

Maricela 'MJ' Barajas and Olivia Mertz made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Barajas tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Mertz tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave Barajas a new career-high in strikeouts (five). At the plate, Barajas went a perfect 1-for-1 with one triple, one run, and one RBI, while Mertz went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That triple marked the first that Barajas hit this season.

Lexi Martinez

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/07/25 vs Castle Park	3
03/27/25 vs Holtville	1
03/22/25 vs Ramona	1
03/22/25 @ Sage Creek	1
03/05/25 vs Canyon Crest Academy	1

In other batting news, Lexi Martinez was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples and three RBI. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Natalie Wood was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.

Hilltop hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in six consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Sweetwater came up short against Fallbrook on Saturday and fell 9-4. The contest marked the Red Devils' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Hilltop's win bumped their record up to 5-6-1. As for Sweetwater, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 9-1-1.

Hilltop took their victory against Sweetwater when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 18-6 score. Do the Lancers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Red Devils turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.