The Casteel Colts will head out to square off against the Queen Creek Bulldogs at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Casteel has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with six straight losses, while Queen Creek will come in with 14 straight wins.
Casteel fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Corona del Sol on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 14-10 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Aztecs. Even if the Colts couldn't come away with the victory, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.
Lauren Fullton and Rylee Moore stepped up to the plate in a big way. Fullton got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Moore went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordin Branch, who went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Queen Creek faced Boulder Creek in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by a 9-0 margin over the Jaguars. Considering the Bulldogs have won 17 games by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Not much got past Aubrey Chavez, who gave up just six hits and racked up 14 Ks to keep Boulder Creek off the board. Chavez has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Emma Reynolds was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Alessia Velazquez was another key player, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Queen Creek hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive contests.
Queen Creek pushed their record up to 23-5 with the win, which was their 20th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.6 runs over those games. As for Casteel, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-20.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Casteel 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 Queen Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
