The Watsonville Wildcatz will venture away from home to challenge the Carmel Padres at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Watsonville hasn't scored more than two runs for five games straight, a trend the squad is eager to reverse.
Hollister hit Watsonville with a four-run seventh inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Wildcatz lost 14-2 to the Haybalers.
Meanwhile, Carmel entered their tilt with Alisal on Thursday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They walked away with a 6-2 victory over the Trojans.
Ava Mangiapane was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She tossed seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. Mangiapane was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nicole Tapson, who went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lily Beals, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Carmel hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in eight consecutive matchups.
Carmel pushed their record up to 19-5 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Watsonville, they now have a losing record of 12-13.
Watsonville came out on top in a nail-biter against Carmel in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 3-1. Do the Wildcatz have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Padres turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
