The Desert Vista Thunder will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Xavier College Prep Gators at 3:45 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Desert Vista put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Saturday. They never let Coconino onto the board and left with an 8-0 victory. Eight seems to be a good number for Desert Vista as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Olivia Kingery spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just zero earned runs on two hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ava Briski, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and a double while going 3-for-3. Jaymie Larney was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
Meanwhile, Xavier College Prep faced O'Connor in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. Everything went Xavier College Prep's way against O'Connor as Xavier College Prep made off with a 13-0 victory. The win was familiar territory for Xavier College Prep who now have three in a row.
Angie Falls made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Falls was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Xavier College Prep let Sariah McNabb and Lauren Putz loose on the outfield. McNabb went 3-for-3 with a home run, seven RBI, and a stolen base, while Putz scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Riley McKeever, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Desert Vista's victory bumped their record up to 14-3. As for Xavier College Prep, they pushed their record up to 14-2-1 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Desert Vista has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .478. However, it's not like Xavier College Prep struggles in that department as they've averaged .497. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Desert Vista beat Xavier College Prep 5-0 in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Desert Vista since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
