Santa Catalina and Carmel are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Santa Catalina Cougars will head out on the road to take on the Carmel Padres at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
Santa Catalina fell victim to Monte Vista Christian and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They wound up on the wrong side of a rough 13-0 walloping at the hands of the Mustangs.
Carmel only won by two when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 12-point they dealt Watsonville on Thursday. Carmel put the hurt on Watsonville with a sharp 12-0 win. Carmel's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Allison Hacker made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits over seven innings pitched. Hacker has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. Hacker was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-3 with three runs and three doubles.
In other batting news, Nicole Tapson was incredible, going 4-for-5 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. Lily Grundy was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
Santa Catalina's defeat was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 0-2. As for Carmel, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-6.
Santa Catalina beat Carmel 5-2 in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Will Santa Catalina repeat their success, or does Carmel have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
