Softball Preview: Grace Lancers vs. Santa Clara Saints
The Grace Lancers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Santa Clara Saints at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Grace stacked a ninth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Foothill Tech a 12-0 shutout. While fans of Grace might be used to big wins, the 12-run margin marked the team's biggest one yet.
Rosy Salazar was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 16 over seven innings pitched. Salazar has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. Salazar was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Grace Maguire, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Addi Feola, who scored two runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Friday Santa Clara sidestepped Foothill Tech for a 2-0 win.
Like Grace, Santa Clara also got a great game from a two-way player: Kadyn Sanchez. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 16 over 6.1 innings pitched. Sanchez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
Sanchez wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Sophia Romero, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
The victory was the third in a row for Grace, bringing their record for this year to 14-1-1. As for Santa Clara, they pushed their record up to 7-7 with that win, which was their third straight at home.
Tuesday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Grace has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .431. However, it's not like Santa Clara struggles in that department as they've averaged .444. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Grace came up short against Santa Clara in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, falling 4-0. Will Grace have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
