The Mt. Carmel Sundevils will head out to challenge the San Marcos Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Mt. Carmel is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
Mt. Carmel is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Mission Hills just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Grizzlies by a score of 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Sundevils have suffered since April 2, 2025.
Jordan Grimaud made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Riley Ronald was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Tuesday as neither San Marcos nor Poway made it on the board until the sixth inning. The Knights came out on top in a nail-biter against the Titans, sneaking past 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Knights have posted since March 16th.
Sofia Andrade spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on six hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, Lily Barstad and Lizzy Burnett did most of the damage at the plate: Barstad went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double, while Burnett went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Those three hits gave Burnett a new career-high.
The defeat was their first at home, dropping their record down to 9-5-1. As for San Marcos, they moved to 8-9 with that win, which also ended their five-game losing streak.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Mt. Carmel hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like San Marcos struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Mt. Carmel might still be hurting after the 16-3 loss they got from San Marcos in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Can the Sundevils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
