The La Habra Highlanders will square off against the Sonora Raiders at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
While La Habra's win against Villa Park wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Highlanders had just enough and edged out the Spartans 5-4 on Tuesday. The Highlanders haven't had any issues with the Spartans recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Madison Payne spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on 12 hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single walk in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Eliana Corona was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Angelina Renteria, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Sonora hadn't beaten Sunny Hills on the road since April 7, 2022 but that history sure didn't bother them on Tuesday. The Raiders had just enough and edged out the Lancers 4-3.
Sonora also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Bayle Hunnicutt gave up just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brooke Piwowar, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Savannah Saiza was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run.
La Habra's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-7. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Sonora, their win bumped their record up to 15-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. La Habra hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Sonora struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Everything went La Habra's way against Sonora in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as La Habra made off with an 11-0 victory. Will the Highlanders repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
