Arlington and Hillcrest are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2022, but likely not for long. The Lions will be playing at home against the Trojans at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Arlington's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Canyon Springs as they made off with a 13-0 win. With that victory, the Lions brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Lorena Ricasa
| 04/22/25 @ Canyon Springs | 3 |
| 04/03/25 vs Canyon Springs | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs Rancho Verde | 1 |
| 04/23/24 vs La Sierra | 1 |
| 04/18/24 vs Patriot | 1 |
Lorena Ricasa was incredible, firing off three triples, four runs, and three RBI while going 4-for-4. Those three triples gave her a new career-high. Ahdrie Martinez was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hillcrest, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over Heritage on Tuesday.
Ashley James spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Nicole Riddell and X-Ziary Zambrano did most of the damage at the plate: Riddell went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI, while Zambrano went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and three RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Natalia Pulido, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two RBI.
Hillcrest lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. They are 8-2 when they post two or more home runs.
Arlington has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Hillcrest, their victory bumped their record up to 13-10.
Arlington's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's match. The Lions have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Hillcrest, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Arlington continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went Arlington's way against Hillcrest in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Arlington made off with a 12-5 win. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Trojans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
