Softball Game Preview: Irvin Rockets vs. Mountain View Lobos

Irvin hasn't had much luck against Mountain View recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Irvin Rockets will be taking part in a tournament against the Mountain View Lobos at 11:00 a.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Irvin's tournament run continued when they took on Chaparral on Friday. Irvin came up short against Chaparral, falling 26-10. Even though they lost, the Rockets' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.2 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).

Aleena Flores and Andrea Orrantia stepped up to the plate in a big way. Flores scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2, while Orrantia scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Flores a new career-high in hits (two). Kimberly De La Torre was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.

Even though they lost, Irvin hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in five consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Mountain View fell victim to Austin and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They lost 7-0 to the Panthers. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Lobos' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Mountain View's defeat dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Irvin, their loss dropped their record down to 2-9.

Irvin suffered a grim 15-2 defeat to Mountain View when the teams last played back in February. Can Irvin avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.