Softball Game Preview: Desert Vista Thunder vs. Xavier College Prep Gators

The Desert Vista Thunder will venture away from home to challenge the Xavier College Prep Gators at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Desert Vista is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.

On Monday, Desert Vista was able to grind out a solid victory over Casteel, taking the game 12-7.

Jessa Ramirez

Runs Batted In (Career)

03/31/25 vs Casteel	4
03/14/25 vs Heritage Academy	3
03/13/25 vs Cesar Chavez	3
03/05/25 @ Valley Vista	3
02/26/25 vs Willcox	3

Desert Vista got a massive performance out of Jessa Ramirez, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave Ramirez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mckenzie Leitgen, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one double.

Meanwhile, Xavier College Prep faced O'Connor in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. Xavier College Prep fell just short of O'Connor by a score of 5-4. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Sydney Root put in work no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over 5.2 innings while giving up four earned runs off seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.

Root wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Angie Falls, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one double.

Desert Vista's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-2. As for Xavier College Prep, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-5-3.

Desert Vista couldn't quite get it done against Xavier College Prep when the teams last played back in March of 2024 as they fell 8-3. Can Desert Vista avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.