Softball Preview: Avenal Buccaneers vs. Firebaugh Eagles
Avenal is 2-8 against Firebaugh since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Avenal Buccaneers will look to defend their home field against the Firebaugh Eagles at 4:30 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Avenal is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 win over Santa Maria. The victory was familiar territory for Avenal who now have three in a row.
Khloe Nieto was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. Nieto was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. 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.
In other batting news, Lauryn Lucero was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last seven games she's played. Natalia Ruiz was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Firebaugh had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They skirted past Farmersville 13-11. The high-scoring effort was just what Firebaugh needed considering they were shutout in their previous contest.
Firebaugh got a massive performance out of Ja'Dyn Jenkins, who scored four runs and stole four bases while going 4-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Anabelle Alaniz, who scored two runs and stole five bases while going 2-for-3.
Avenal's win bumped their record up to 16-9. As for Firebaugh, their victory bumped their record up to 11-16.
Firebaugh's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Avenal has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10 hits per game. It's a different story for Firebaugh, though, as they've been averaging 15. Given Avenal's sizable advantage in that area, Firebaugh will need to find a way to close that gap.
Avenal took their win against Firebaugh in their previous meeting last Tuesday by a conclusive 14-5. Will Avenal repeat their success, or does Firebaugh have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
