The Rio Mesa Spartans will face off against the Gahr Gladiators at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Rio Mesa is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top against Temple City by a score of 7-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Rio Mesa.
Jasmine Reyes made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off eight hits. Reyes has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in 17 consecutive pitching appearances. Reyes was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 4-for-4.
In other batting news, Jaslene Rios was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Gahr entered their tilt with Tesoro with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-3 win over the Titans on Tuesday.
Isabella Gonzalez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits.
At the plate, Gahr's victory was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Marley Cortez, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and an RBI. Another player making a difference was Rio Mendez, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Rio Mesa has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 24-5 record this season. As for Gahr, they pushed their record up to 16-10 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Thursday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Rio Mesa hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. However, it's not like Gahr struggles in that department as they've averaged .343. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rio Mesa was able to grind out a solid victory over Gahr in their previous matchup back in March, winning 4-1. Will Rio Mesa repeat their success, or does Gahr have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
