Softball Game Preview: Apollo Hawks vs. Valley Vista Monsoon

For the second straight game, Apollo will face off against Valley Vista. The Hawks will venture away from home to challenge the Monsoon at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Apollo has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with five straight defeats, while Valley Vista will come in with three straight wins.

Apollo is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They took a 31-27 hit to the loss column at the hands of Valley Vista on Tuesday. Even though they lost, the Hawks' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.5 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).

For Valley Vista's part, Savanah Garcia and Addison Kennedy did most of the damage at the plate: Garcia got on base in all five of her plate appearances with five RBI and three runs, while Kennedy scored five runs and stole a base while getting on base in five of her seven plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Garcia a new career-high in hits (three). Another player making a difference was Lillian Gonzalez, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.

Valley Vista was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .586. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .586 or higher in three consecutive matchups.

Valley Vista pushed their record up to 5-8 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 23.7 runs over those games. As for Apollo, their loss dropped their record down to 2-9.

Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Apollo hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. However, it's not like Valley Vista struggles in that department as they've averaged .467. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.