The Buena Park Coyotes will take on the Valencia Tigers at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Buena Park sitting on six straight wins and Valencia on nine.
On Friday, Buena Park got the win against Katella by a conclusive 9-1. The result was nothing new for the Coyotes, who have now won 12 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Mia Gonzalez made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 16 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 16 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Lily Phillips and Calista Beltran did most of the damage at the plate: Phillips went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Beltran went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Layla Hinojos was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Valencia made easy work of Laguna Hills on Friday and carried off a 14-2 victory. That's two games straight that the Tigers have won by exactly 12 runs.
Valencia got a massive performance out of Lauren Kim, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most runs Kim has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Allison Risner, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, one run, and one double.
Valencia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .733. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Valencia's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-10. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.9 runs over those games. As for Buena Park, their win bumped their record up to 14-8.
Buena Park's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's game. The Coyotes have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Valencia, though, as they've been averaging only 0.7 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Buena Park continue to outrun the ball?
Buena Park came up short against Valencia in their previous meeting back in April, falling 5-2. Will the Coyotes have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
