The Orange Vista Coyotes will face off against the Rancho Verde Mustangs at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Orange Vista will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Hemet on Thursday. The Coyotes were the clear victors by a 13-6 margin over the Bulldogs. Considering the Coyotes' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Jazmine Zabala spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on seven hits.
On the hitting side, Orange Vista let Macai Johnson and Jayla Holley run wild. Johnson went 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Holley got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most runs Holley has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Makayla Overton, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Orange Vista was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hemet only posted a batting average of .207.
Meanwhile, Rancho Verde waltzed into their game on Thursday with nine straight wins... but they left with ten. Everything went their way against the Lancers as they made off with a 13-1 win. Considering the Mustangs have won 13 contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Isabelle Sena was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Sadie Menendez and Khylee Dade did most of the damage at the plate: Menendez went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Dade went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Serenity Menendez was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Rancho Verde's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-3. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Orange Vista, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 12-9.
Both Orange Vista and Rancho Verde just can't seem to miss. The Coyotes have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. However, it's not like Rancho Verde struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Orange Vista took their win against Rancho Verde when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 13-2 score. Will the Coyotes repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
