Softball Preview: Rio Americano Raiders vs. Vista del Lago Eagles
Rio Americano is 0-10 against Vista del Lago since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Rio Americano Raiders will head out on the road to square off against the Vista del Lago Eagles at 4:15 p.m. After both teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Thursday.
Rio Americano scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They blew past Natomas 22-1. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Sydney Anderson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Anderson was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Iris Garverick, who went 3-for-3 with six RBI, three runs, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Taylor Bloyed, who scored four runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Vista del Lago came tearing into Tuesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Cougars an 8-0 shutout. Eight seems to be a good number for Vista del Lago as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
The team relied heavily on Kamira Stephens, who went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI. Skyler Edelen was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Rio Americano's win ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-8. As for Vista del Lago, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Rio Americano has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.5 hits per game. However, it's not like Vista del Lago struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rio Americano might still be hurting after the 22-0 defeat they got from Vista del Lago in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Thankfully for Rio Americano, Olivia Manchester (who scored five runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
