Softball Recap: Del Norte Snags Eighth Victory in Last Nine Games

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Del Norte had no problem doing just that on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Otay Ranch Mustangs with a sharp 8-1 victory. This was payback for the Nighthawks, who suffered a 7-2 loss the last time these two teams met.

Ava Giaime spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Alexis Kyles, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs. That home run was her first of the season. Lainey LLamas was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.

Del Norte hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three batters in four consecutive matches.

Del Norte is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 18-9-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Otay Ranch, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 13-13-1.

As of now, neither Del Norte nor the Mustangs have any future games scheduled.