Softball Preview: Coronado Islanders vs. Mission Bay Buccaneers
The Coronado Islanders will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Mission Bay Buccaneers at 4:00 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
In what's become a running theme this season, Coronado gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Morse with a sharp 7-1 victory. The win was familiar territory for Coronado who now have four in a row.
Sophie Kenny spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Vida Sanchez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Parker Thompson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Mission Bay narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Madison 8-7. The win made it back-to-back victories for Mission Bay.
Evie Horton made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off nine hits. Horton was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Maraea Hicks was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double. Kimber Manuel was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Coronado is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 12-7-1 record this season. As for Mission Bay, their win ended a nine-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 5-13.
Mission Bay's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Coronado hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .380. It's a different story for Mission Bay, though, as they've only averaged .250. Will they be able to contain Coronado's hitters?
Coronado was able to grind out a solid victory over Mission Bay in their previous meeting back in April, winning 5-2. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Horton, who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out six over six innings pitched. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Coronado still be able to contain Horton? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
