The Santa Clara Saints will take on the Grace Lancers at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Santa Clara 3.8, Grace 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Santa Clara's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Bishop Diego with a sharp 6-0 victory. The Saints might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matches by six runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to Kadyn Sanchez's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 16 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances.
Sophia Grace Castorena
| 04/29/25 @ Bishop Diego | 3 |
| 04/03/25 vs Foothill Tech | 1 |
| 03/20/25 @ Foothill Tech | 2 |
| 02/22/25 vs Pacifica | 2 |
| 02/19/25 vs Hueneme | 4 |
At the plate, Sophia Romero and Sophia Grace Castorena did most of the damage at the plate: Romero went 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base, while Castorena went 2-for-3 with three RBI. That's the most RBI Castorena has posted since back in February. Isabelle Soto was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Santa Clara was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bishop Diego only posted a batting average of .045.
Meanwhile, Grace fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Oak Park on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 5-3. The Lancers' defeat signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.
Rosy Salazar spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up 12 Ks.
On the hitting side, Grace saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Grace Maguire, who went 2-for-4 with two runs.
Santa Clara has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Grace, their loss dropped their record down to 12-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Santa Clara has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 12.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grace struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Santa Clara came up short against Grace in their previous matchup back in April, falling 4-1. Will the Saints have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
