Estrella Foothills hasn't had much luck against Deer Valley recently, but that could start to change on Monday. Estrella Foothills will look to defend their home field against Deer Valley at 6:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Estrella Foothills is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 27-10 margin over Peoria on Thursday. The Wolves have beaten the Panthers the last eight times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Panthers has come to flipping the script.
Ilse Penaloza Leyva was a major factor no matter where she played. She tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in earned runs (zero). She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of her six plate appearances.
In other batting news, Annasi Dilley was a standout: she scored three runs and stole four bases while getting on base in four of her six plate appearances. Those four stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Jaedene Cruz was another key player, scoring four runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of her six plate appearances.
Estrella Foothills kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Peoria only managed three hits.
Meanwhile, Deer Valley entered their tilt with Thunderbird on Friday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They blew past the Titans 10-3. Considering the Skyhawks have won nine matches by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Adyson Ordway spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on four hits and racked up 15 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Priscilla Lopez was incredible, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Leila Hermosillo, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Deer Valley pushed their record up to 14-3-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Estrella Foothills, their win bumped their record up to 2-13.
Estrella Foothills suffered a grim 8-1 defeat to Deer Valley when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can Estrella Foothills avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
