Softball Game Preview: Arlington Lions vs. Heritage Patriots

The Arlington Lions are taking a road trip to face off against the Heritage Patriots at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Arlington is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games.

Arlington's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They walked away with a 4-0 win over JW North.

Itzel Hernandez

Batters Struck Out

04/10/25 vs JW North	14
04/08/25 @ Hillcrest	10
04/03/25 vs Canyon Springs	6
04/01/25 @ Liberty	7
03/21/25 vs Rancho Verde	14
+ 6 more games

The result came thanks to Itzel Hernandez's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up 14 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 11 consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Mia Cortez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Autumn Cruz also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Meanwhile, Heritage didn't have quite enough to beat Canyon Springs on Thursday and fell 8-7.

Natalia York was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Kenya Ponce, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.

Arlington's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Heritage, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-11 record this season.

Heritage's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Arlington has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Heritage, though, as they've been averaging only 2.1 strikeouts. Will Arlington keep running through batters, or will the Patriots buck the trend? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.