The Centennial Bulldogs will face off against the Palo Verde Panthers at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Centennial is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over Spanish Springs.
Lily Fournier spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on seven hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 20 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Leeah Ibarra and Sloane Merrell did most of the damage at the plate: Ibarra went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one double, while Merrell went a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI Ibarra has posted since back in March. Abigail Estrada was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Centennial was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Palo Verde put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They put the hurt on Reed with a sharp 10-1 victory. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 contests by six runs or more this season.
Palo Verde also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Ava Koenig gave up a run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, Mya Bartlett was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and five RBI. Another player making a difference was Taylor Johns, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs.
Centennial has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-13 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. As for Palo Verde, their victory bumped their record up to 23-0.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Centennial 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 Palo Verde struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.2 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
