The Salpointe Catholic Lancers will face off against the Poston Butte Broncos at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Salpointe Catholic comes in on five and Poston Butte on four.
Salpointe Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Walden Grove as they made off with an 8-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Lancers, who have now won 11 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Audri Elias tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Isabel Otero, who went 1-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Leylani Cuesta, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Flagstaff typically has all the answers at home, but on Wednesday Poston Butte proved too difficult a challenge. They walked away with an 11-7 victory over the Eagles.
Haylee Lopez was a major factor no matter where she played. She tossed seven innings while giving up just two earned (and five unearned) runs off 14 hits. Lopez was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three runs and one double.
In other batting news, Kimberly Westover was incredible, going 3-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Brylee Litviak was another key player, going 2-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Poston Butte kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in nine consecutive contests.
Salpointe Catholic pushed their record up to 22-6-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.2 runs on average over those games. As for Poston Butte, their win bumped their record up to 20-9.
Salpointe Catholic took their victory against Poston Butte in their previous meeting back in May of 2021 by a conclusive 15-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lancers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
