Parkland hasn't had much luck against Eastlake recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Parkland Matadors will host the Eastlake Falcons at 6:30 p.m. Parkland is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Parkland is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 11 runs on Friday, they were much more limited against Pebble Hills on Saturday. They fell 6-1 to the Spartans.
Parkland saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Samantha Martinez, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Meanwhile, Eastlake entered their tilt with El Paso on Saturday with four consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with five. They came out on top against the Tigers by a score of 7-2.
Ava Licerio made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Eastlake let Isabella Aguilera and Celina Estrada run wild. Aguilera went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI, while Estrada scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Those two doubles gave Aguilera a new career-high. Alexis Garcia was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
Eastlake was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .393 or higher in five consecutive matches.
Parkland's defeat dropped their record down to 11-9. As for Eastlake, their win bumped their record up to 15-5.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Parkland hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .420. However, it's not like Eastlake struggles in that department as they've averaged .409. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Parkland suffered a grim 11-0 defeat to Eastlake when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Can Parkland avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
