The Roma Gladiators will head out on the road to challenge the Mission Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Roma comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
On Tuesday, Roma came up short against Cigarroa and fell 10-5. That's two games in a row now that the Gladiators have lost by exactly five runs.
Isabella Garza put in work while hitting and pitching. She tossed 5.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits. Garza was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Yamilet Garza made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Shaelyn Butler was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Mission got themselves on the board against Juarez-Lincoln on Tuesday, but Juarez-Lincoln never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Huskies with a sharp 14-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won three matches by 14 runs or more so far this season.
Like Roma, Mission also got a great game from a two-way player: Judith Arroyo. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Arroyo has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Ilia Fiscal and Pamela Avalos did most of the damage at the plate: Fiscal scored three runs while going 2-for-3, while Avalos scored two runs while going 1-for-2. Another player making a difference was Aleyda Reyes, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Mission always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Mission is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. Roma's defeat dropped their record down to 0-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Roma has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Mission struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
