The Sierra Vista Dons will take on the Schurr Spartans at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Sierra Vista 4, Schurr 2.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Tuesday, Sierra Vista came up short against Ramona Convent and fell 8-5.
Isabella Ortega put in work no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off nine hits. Ortega was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three RBI.
Ortega wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Marlene Diaz, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that Diaz hit this season. Another was Joey Romero, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Schurr waltzed into their match on Thursday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They were the clear victors by a 15-2 margin over the Aztecs. Considering the Spartans have won eight contests by more than seven runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Sierra Vista, Schurr also got a great game from a two-way player: Sophia De Santiago. She struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Those six strikeouts gave De Santiago a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Schurr got a massive performance out of Mia Gonzales, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI Gonzales has posted since back in February. Kayla Rodriguez was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Schurr always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mark Keppel only posted an OBP of .375.
Schurr pushed their record up to 11-3-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Sierra Vista, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 6-5.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Sierra Vista hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .348. However, it's not like Schurr struggles in that department as they've averaged .411. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Sierra Vista came out on top in a nail-biter against Schurr when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Will the Dons repeat their success, or do the Spartans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
