ALA - West Foothills hasn't had much luck against Yuma Catholic recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Guardians will head out on the road to square off against the Shamrocks at 3:45 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Thursday, ALA - West Foothills got the win against Kingman by a conclusive 12-2. The win continues a trend for the Guardians in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won six in a row.
Ava LaHair was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. LaHair was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, ALA - West Foothills let Madelyn Caines and Ave Risati run wild. Caines went 4-for-5 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs, while Risati went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those two triples gave Caines a new career-high. Olivia Gonzalez was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
ALA - West Foothills was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .321 or higher in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Yuma Catholic). They never let Highland Prep get on the board and left with a 19-0 victory on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Shamrocks considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Highland Prep's batters probably weren't too happy with Cherish Trujillo, who pitched a no hitter and racked up eight Ks (she gave up a single walk). Those eight strikeouts set a new season-high mark for Trujillo.
On the hitting side, Faith Donley and Mailyn Milan did most of the damage at the plate: Donley went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, four RBI, and two doubles, while Milan went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, four RBI, and one triple. Milan has been hot recently, having posted at least one triple the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Isabel Rodriguez, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Yuma Catholic has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for ALA - West Foothills, their record now sits at 10-6.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. ALA - West Foothills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .400. However, it's not like Yuma Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .405. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
