The Alisal Trojans will head out to square off against the West Valley Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a six-game winning streak alive.
Alisal is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Live Oak 5-4.
Abigail Walker spent all 11 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Aubrey Jones was excellent, going 3-for-6 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooklyn Smith, who got on base in three of her six plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, West Valley got the win against Escalon on Thursday by a conclusive 14-5. Considering the Eagles have won 19 contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
West Valley also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Aubree Wertz gave up three earned (and two unearned) runs on 13 hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Adelinn Carter, who fired off two home runs and six RBI while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Cadynce Gippner, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
West Valley lost a few balls and finished the game with four home runs. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Escalon didn't launched any.
Alisal's record is now 22-5. As for West Valley, their record now sits at 29-2.
West Valley's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. Alisal has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for West Valley, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will Alisal keep running through batters, or will the Eagles buck the trend? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
