Mission Oak is 8-2 against Tulare Western since April of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Mission Oak Hawks will look to defend their home field against the Tulare Western Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Mission Oak: 3.8, Tulare Western: 3.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Last Thursday, Mission Oak came out on top against Hanford by a score of 7-4 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).
Maleena Martin spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings in eight consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Mission Oak let Jadyn Albright and Mya Ortega loose on the outfield. Albright scored three runs while going 3-for-3, while Ortega went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a triple. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Shepherd, who went 1-for-4 with a home run.
Meanwhile, Tulare Western fell victim to Tulare Union and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They suffered a rough 7-0 defeat at the hands of the The Tribe. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Tulare Western in their matchups with Tulare Union: they've now lost three in a row.
Tulare Western saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emily Leon, who went 3-for-3 with a double.
Mission Oak is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season. As for Tulare Western, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-9.
Thursday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Mission Oak hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .334. However, it's not like Tulare Western struggles in that department as they've averaged .317. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mission Oak was able to grind out a solid win over Tulare Western in their previous meeting on April 9th, winning 11-8. Does Mission Oak have another victory up their sleeve, or will Tulare Western turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
