San Clemente hasn't had much luck against El Toro recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Tritons will take on the Chargers at 3:30 p.m. San Clemente will be looking to extend their current ten-game winning streak.
San Clemente let San Juan Hills stack four runs on them in the fifth inning on Tuesday but luckily San Clemente prevailed anyway. The Tritons won by a run and slipped past the Stallions 6-5.
Luca Cifuentes spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 17 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Emily Racine was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Havyn Nekritz, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
San Clemente was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .346 or higher in six consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, El Toro fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Beckman last Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They lost 13-6 to the Patriots. The Chargers' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Camyrn Bradshaw was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one double. Kaelyn Perez also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
El Toro now has a losing record of 9-10. As for San Clemente, their victory bumped their record up to 18-5-1.
San Clemente's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's contest. The Tritons have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for El Toro, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will San Clemente continue to outrun the ball?
San Clemente came out on top in a nail-biter against El Toro in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 2-1. Do the Tritons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Chargers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
