The Mission Bay Buccaneers will venture away from home to square off against the Canyon Hills Rattlers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Mission Bay is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over Palo Verde Valley back in March. The win was familiar territory for the Buccaneers, who have now won five matches in a row.
Abby Nelson made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kassie Zavala was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run and two RBI. Evie Horton also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Mission Bay hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, while Canyon Hills put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for San Diego. The Rattlers put the hurt on the Cavers with a sharp 13-0 victory. The game marked the Rattlers' most dominant win of the season.
Like Mission Bay, Canyon Hills also got a great game from a two-way player: Natalye Debus. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Debus was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hal'E Martin, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two doubles. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March of 2024. Karalyne Tabada was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Canyon Hills' victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. As for Mission Bay, they picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 7-3.
Mission Bay's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's matchup. The Buccaneers have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Canyon Hills, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Mission Bay continue to outrun the ball? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
