Payne Tech had to kick off their season on the road on Thursday, but they showed no ill effects. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the East Side Red Raiders a 23-0 shutout. The Lions haven't had any issues with the Red Raiders recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Olivia Mendez made a big impact no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Mendez was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Leidy Soto Leyba, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ayliana Hernandez, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Coincidentally, Payne Tech and East Side will both be playing Millburn the next time they take the field. The Lions will head out to face the Millers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, while the Red Raiders will host them at 4:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
