The Queen Creek Bulldogs have the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome the Xavier College Prep Gators at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Queen Creek is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Hamilton, who was ranked 13th in their home state at the time (Queen Creek was ranked first). Queen Creek narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Hamilton 3-2. That's two games straight that Queen Creek has won by just one run.
Jenae Berry spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on three hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in eight consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Makenzi Padilla, who went 3-for-3 with two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Corie Shull, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, with a playoff game on the line, Xavier College Prep rose to the challenge on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged the Pioneers out 12-10. Winning may never get old, but Xavier College Prep sure is getting used to it with their seventh in a row.
Joie Ramos was a standout: she scored a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Lauren Putz, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Queen Creek has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 18 of their last 19 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 26-4 record this season. As for Xavier College Prep, they pushed their record up to 27-4-1 with that victory, which was their 13th straight at home.
Monday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Queen Creek hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .375. However, it's not like Xavier College Prep struggles in that department as they've averaged .388. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Queen Creek took their win against Xavier College Prep when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 10-2. Will Queen Creek repeat their success, or does Xavier College Prep have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
