The Shadow Ridge Mustangs will square off against the Coronado Cougars at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Shadow Ridge is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.1 runs per game this season.
Shadow Ridge is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They came out on top against Centennial by a score of 6-2. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Loa Duarte made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in April. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, one triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Chloe Covington was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Devaeh Crawford, who went 2-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.
Shadow Ridge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .480. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Centennial only posted a batting average of .143.
Meanwhile, Coronado faced Bishop Gorman in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. The Cougars walked away with a 6-3 victory over the Gaels. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Gaels recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Aubrie Sisler spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on nine hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Bailey Goldberg, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one triple. She has been hot, having posted at least one home run the last five times she's played. Summer Gilliam was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Coronado's victory bumped their record up to 13-11. As for Shadow Ridge, their win bumped their record up to 19-7.
Coronado's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Shadow Ridge has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.6 hits per game. It's a different story for Coronado, though, as they've been averaging 9.1 hits. Given Shadow Ridge's sizable advantage in that area, the Cougars will need to find a way to close that gap.
Shadow Ridge was able to grind out a solid victory over Coronado in their previous matchup back in April, winning 8-4. Do the Mustangs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cougars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
