The United Christian Academy Eagles will take on the Banning Broncos at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
United Christian Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 17-1 margin over Environmental Charter. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Eagles considering their two-run performance the match before.
Lariah Avila made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
Tiffany Sanchez
| 05/15/25 @ Environmental Charter | 4 |
| 04/08/24 @ Sherman Indian | 3 |
| 04/30/25 @ California Lutheran | 2 |
| 03/12/24 vs California Lutheran | 2 |
| 04/25/25 @ Sherman Indian | 1 |
In other batting news, United Christian Academy got a massive performance out of Tiffany Sanchez, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Those four stolen bases gave Sanchez a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Elizabeth Ram?rez, who went 2-for-3 with two triples, four RBI, and two runs.
Meanwhile, Banning had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Centurions with a sharp 13-4 victory.
Like United Christian Academy, Banning also got a great game from a two-way player: Ella Leivas. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). Leivas was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season.
In other batting news, Grace Eckman and Alexus Villasenor did most of the damage at the plate: Eckman went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while Villasenor got on base in four of her eight plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Eckman also hit a triple, marking her first of the season. Lilly Anderez was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
United Christian Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Banning, their victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-5.
Banning's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: United Christian Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .422. It's a different story for Banning, though, as they've only averaged .248. Will they be able to contain United Christian Academy's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
