A feisty cat fight will be fought as Presentation Panthers face off against Half Moon Bay Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Presentation's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past El Camino 12-0.
Allie Malatesta and Kyla Rae Shackelford made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Malatesta tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Shackelford struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance gave her a new career-low in hits. At the plate, Malatesta went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI, while Shackelford scored a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Julia Simon and Stella Mancuso did most of the damage at the plate: Simon scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Mancuso scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Leah Escolar, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Presentation kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
The home team had come away the winner the last three times Half Moon Bay and Terra Nova had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. Half Moon Bay fell just short of Terra Nova by a score of 12-11 on Saturday. Cougars fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Tigers since on Saturday.
Mia Modena and Sydney Sarabia stepped up to the plate in a big way. Modena scored two runs while going 2-for-5, while Sarabia scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Olivia Deeney was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-5.
Half Moon Bay's loss dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Presentation, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Presentation hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .394. However, it's not like Half Moon Bay struggles in that department as they've averaged .382. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
