The Santana Sultans will head out on the road to face off against the Westview Wolverines at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Santana will be strutting in after a victory while Westview will be coming in after a defeat.
Santana is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top against Patrick Henry by a score of 8-4. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Ashlyn Darrow made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Darrow was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Paityn Miller was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Hailee Powell, who got on base in two of her four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Santana lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post two or more home runs.
Meanwhile, Westview fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against San Pasqual on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Golden Eagles by a score of 3-2. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Wolverines couldn't push the score so high this time.
Kaya Rodriguez spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on six hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 19 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Emma Guzman made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Kamilla Taraila, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Santana has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-11-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Westview, with the loss, they broke their six-game winning streak and moved their record to 17-5-2.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Santana hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .361. However, it's not like Westview struggles in that department as they've averaged .370. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Santana got the 'W' when the teams last played back in May of 2023 against Westview by a conclusive 13-7 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Sultans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
