Defenders
| 05/15/25 vs Don Lugo | 12 |
| 05/07/25 @ El Segundo | 2 |
| 05/06/25 vs Maranatha | 16 |
| 05/05/25 @ Village Christian | 13 |
| 05/02/25 @ Saint Joseph | 12 |
| + 19 more games |
The Valley Christian Defenders will venture away from home to challenge the Arlington Lions at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday. Valley Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.8 runs per game this season.
Valley Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They put the hurt on Don Lugo with a sharp 12-0 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Defenders considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Rachel Zhang tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Jewel Malae was a standout: she went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two runs. Another player making a difference was Tallulah Ireland, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Valley Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Don Lugo only posted an OBP of .364.
Meanwhile, Arlington had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.4 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Thursday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Warriors. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Lions have posted since March 10th.
Itzel Hernandez spent all 13 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up 18 Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ryleigh Pliego, who went 5-for-7 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Those five hits gave her a new career-high. Lorena Ricasa was another key player, going 2-for-6 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Arlington's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Valley Christian, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-6-1 record this season.
Saturday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Valley Christian hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .378. However, it's not like Arlington struggles in that department as they've averaged .366. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
