Castilleja is 1-9 against Notre Dame since May of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Gators will head out to face off against the Regents at 4:00 p.m. Castilleja has given up an average of 12.9 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Castilleja is headed into Thursday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their ninth straight game on Friday. They came up short against South San Francisco, falling 21-4.
Katherine Cheng was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame waltzed into their match on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Colts with a sharp 13-3 victory. The result was nothing new for the Regents, who have now won nine contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Anya Shah made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out ten over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 17 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one triple and two RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kamille Beals, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two triples, and three runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Alex Vera, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run.
Notre Dame was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .567. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in five consecutive games.
Notre Dame's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-9. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.7 runs over those games. As for Castilleja, their loss dropped their record down to 2-11.
Castilleja might still be hurting after the 17-6 defeat they got from Notre Dame in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Gators avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
