The Escondido Charter Tigers will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on Mission Vista at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Escondido Charter's pitching crew has only allowed 2.1 runs per game this season, so Mission Vista's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Escondido Charter's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Monday's struggle, when Christian hitters got past them. Escondido Charter lost 10-4 to Christian on Monday. The Tigers' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Zaliyah Jones made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Natalya Powers, who scored a run while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mission Vista). They had just enough and edged out St. John's 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory Mission Vista has posted since May 17, 2024.
Rian Hickman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Liliana Gonzales was incredible, going 1-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Baylie O'Neill, who scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-2.
Mission Vista moved to 2-5 with that win, which also ended their four-game losing streak. As for Escondido Charter, their loss dropped their record down to 5-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Escondido Charter has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mission Vista struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
