The Alhambra Bulldogs will take on the Pinole Valley Spartans at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Alhambra is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Bethel get on the board and left with a 19-0 win on Wednesday. With that victory, the Bulldogs brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Payton Radke was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Those six strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Genevieve Hernandez
| 04/02/25 vs Bethel | 5 |
| 03/13/25 @ Albany | 2 |
| 03/28/25 vs Crater | 1 |
| 03/08/25 vs Petaluma | 1 |
| 02/26/25 vs Bishop O'Dowd | 1 |
In other batting news, Alhambra let Mia Brady and Genevieve Hernandez run wild. Brady went 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple, while Hernandez went a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those five RBI gave Hernandez a new career-high. Abigail Gardiner was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
Alhambra always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .861. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Pinole Valley never got on the board in their matchup on Friday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Concord last Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Bears with a sharp 16-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Spartans, who have now won five games by six runs or more so far this season.
Mckenzie Ortega made a big impact no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Ayla Serrano and Julissa Elliott did most of the damage at the plate: Serrano scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Elliott scored a run while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Katie Gonzalez, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
Alhambra is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. As for Pinole Valley, their win bumped their record up to 8-3.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Alhambra hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .348. However, it's not like Pinole Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .327. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Alhambra beat Pinole Valley 19-14 in their previous meeting back in April of 2022. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Spartans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
