With a playoff win on the line, Centennial rose to the challenge on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out the Shadow Ridge Mustangs 6-5. The victory continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won four in a row.
Sloane Merrell made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Merrell was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other pitching news, Lily Fournier looked comfortable as she struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 17 consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Madden Turner was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Sydnee Smith was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Bulldogs
| 05/07/25 vs Shadow Ridge | 6-5 |
| 05/05/25 vs Green Valley | 14-2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Liberty | 9-8 |
| 04/28/25 @ Bishop Gorman | 6-5 |
| 04/25/25 vs Desert Oasis | 10-0 |
Centennial kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in seven consecutive games.
Centennial's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-11. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Shadow Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 13-8.
Centennial and Shadow Ridge are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. The Bulldogs will take on Palo Verde at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Panthers will roll in looking for their 21st straight win, something Centennial surely won't give up without a fight. As for Shadow Ridge, they will challenge Coronado at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Cougars will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
