The Palo Alto Vikings will take on the Monta Vista Matadors at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Palo Alto is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
While Palo Alto's win against Fremont wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Vikings came out on top against the Firebirds on Wednesday by a score of 7-5 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Vikings have posted since March 19th.
Kira Tzeng made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. Tzeng was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in February.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kendall Butler, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Eleanor Wells, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Palo Alto was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They are 6-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Monta Vista was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their 18th straight defeat dating back to last season. They came up short against Lynbrook, falling 30-17. On the bright side, the 17- run performance marked the Matadors' highest-scoring contest to date.
Juju Ling stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: she got on base in four of her five plate appearances with three runs and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Elizabeth Trotter, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
Monta Vista's loss dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Palo Alto, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Everything went Palo Alto's way against Monta Vista in their previous meeting back in March, as Palo Alto made off with a 26-3 win. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Matadors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
