Softball Game Preview: Mayer Wildcats vs. Maryvale Prep Matador

The Mayer Wildcats will venture away from home to face off against the Maryvale Prep Matador at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Mayer is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Highland Prep West 24-11 on Monday. The win was familiar territory for the Wildcats, who have now won three contests in a row.

Meanwhile, Maryvale Prep made easy work of Mountainside on Tuesday and carried off a 26-12 victory.

Maryvale Prep let Emma Basurto Ibanez and Natalie Gonzalez Blancke run wild. Basurto Ibanez scored four runs while going 5-for-5, while Gonzalez Blancke went 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. The dominant performance also gave Basurto Ibanez a new career-high in RBI (three). Another player making a difference was Genesis Garcia, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.

Maryvale Prep was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .686. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Maryvale Prep's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 30.3 runs over those games. As for Mayer, the win got them back to even at 7-7.

Mayer took their victory against Maryvale Prep when the teams last played on Thursday by a conclusive 18-9 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.