Softball Preview: Orange Lutheran Lancers vs. Murrieta Mesa Rams
The Orange Lutheran Lancers will take on the Murrieta Mesa Rams at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday. Orange Lutheran will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Orange Lutheran is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They walked away with a 7-4 victory over Canyon.
Brianne Weiss spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Mya Diaz and Zara Mineo-Schrank did most of the damage at the plate: Diaz scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Mineo-Schrank went 2-for-2 with three RBI and a double. Another player making a difference was Olivia Oskorus, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Murrieta Mesa can now show off 20 landslide victories after their most recent game on Thursday. They never let Huntington Beach onto the board and left with a 12-0 win. Murrieta Mesa's pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three matchups.
Lilly Hauser made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Hauser was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run, five RBI, and a double.
In other batting news, Paige Bambarger was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Taelyn Holley was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
Orange Lutheran pushed their record up to 20-3 with that victory, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Murrieta Mesa, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 17 of their last 18 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 25-3 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Orange Lutheran has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Murrieta Mesa struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Orange Lutheran suffered a grim 12-5 defeat to Murrieta Mesa in their previous meeting back in February. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hauser, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Now that Orange Lutheran knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
