The Arbor View Aggies will face off against the Shadow Ridge Mustangs at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Arbor View is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Bishop Gorman, sneaking past 6-5. The Aggies haven't had any issues with the Gaels recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
The team relied heavily on Madilyn Lowy, who went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Breya Hee was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Shadow Ridge faced Coronado in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Mustangs came out on top against the Cougars by a score of 6-5 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).
Katelynn Quidato spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Madison Foster was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacobi Gledhill, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Shadow Ridge has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season. As for Arbor View, their victory bumped their record up to 18-9.
Shadow Ridge's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Arbor View has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Shadow Ridge, though, as they've been averaging 8.9 hits. Given Arbor View's sizable advantage in that area, the Mustangs will need to find a way to close that gap.
Arbor View came up short against Shadow Ridge when the teams last played on Tuesday, falling 5-2. Can the Aggies avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
