Mercy is on a three-game streak of home losses, Castilleja a three-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck is about to change. The Mercy Bears will take on the Castilleja Gators at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Mercy fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Notre Dame on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Regents by a score of 5-3. That's two games in a row now that Mercy has lost by exactly two runs.
J Villavicencio spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on 14 hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings every time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, G Ortega was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought matchup, but Castilleja had to settle for a 7-6 defeat against Terra Nova on Monday.
Emma Foster and Katherine Cheng stepped up to the plate in a big way. Foster scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-4, while Cheng scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4.
Mercy's loss dropped their record down to 7-9-1. As for Castilleja, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-7.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Mercy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .453. However, it's not like Castilleja struggles in that department as they've averaged .465. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mercy took their victory against Castilleja in their previous meeting back in April by a conclusive 20-0. Will Mercy repeat their success, or does Castilleja have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
