Santa Fe hasn't had much luck against California recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Chiefs will host the Condors at 3:15 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Santa Fe needed a bit of extra time to put away La Serna. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Lancers, sneaking past 12-10. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Chiefs considering their two-run performance the game before.
Isabella Montez looked comfortable as she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, she posted three strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March.
At the plate, Jordyn Bertram was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Brooklyn Slater, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for California, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They blew past Valley Christian 7-1 on Tuesday. The Condors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten contests by six runs or more this season.
Alexis Salas looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, California let Shirley Acevedo and Jessica Gurule run wild. Acevedo went 1-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Gurule went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Amaya Vasquez, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one double.
California hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Valley Christian struck out 13 times.
California's win was their 23rd straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 15-9. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Santa Fe, their win bumped their record up to 10-12.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Santa Fe hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like California struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Santa Fe suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to California in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Will the Chiefs 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.
