North Side is 2-8 against South Hills since April of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Steers will square off against the Scorpions at 7:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
North Side took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Polytechnic a 16-0 shutout. The Steers haven't had any issues with the Parrots recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Natalia Olvera made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Olvera was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
In other batting news, North Side got a massive performance out of Mia James, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Maggie Casteneda was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one triple.
North Side always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .773. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, South Hills' rock-solid pitchers showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Friday. They put the hurt on Wyatt with a sharp 17-0 victory.
Like North Side, South Hills also got a great game from a two-way player: Kim Valenzuela. On the mound, she tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Valenzuela has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, South Hills let Valeria Perales and Natalie Ramirez run wild. Perales went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Ramirez scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Those four RBI gave Perales a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Moriah Dean, who scored two runs and stole a base.
South Hills has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-16-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for North Side, their record now sits at 8-9.
North Side couldn't quite get it done against South Hills in their previous meeting back in March as they fell 7-4. Can the Steers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
