Elsinore is 0-10 against Temescal Canyon since May of 2016 but things could change on Friday. The Tigers will head out on the road to square off against the Titans at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Elsinore's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past West Valley 12-0. Winning may never get old, but the Tigers sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Leslie Acevedo made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI and one run. That run was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Elsinore got a big performance out of Mia Dominguez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Payton LaRouche was another key player, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with three runs.
Elsinore hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in six consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Temescal Canyon came tearing into Wednesday's game with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.1 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victors by a 19-4 margin over the Tigers.
Like Elsinore, Temescal Canyon also got a great game from a two-way player: CIARA BABCOCK. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. BABCOCK was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
In other pitching news, JESSENIA MOORE looked comfortable as she struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk).
Back at the plate, MAKAILA RIGGS was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, seven RBI, and three runs. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was NATALIE CASTRO, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
Temescal Canyon's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Elsinore, their record now sits at 9-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Elsinore hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Temescal Canyon struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Elsinore might still be hurting after the 14-0 defeat they got from Temescal Canyon in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
