Mater Dei Catholic is on a seven-game streak of home wins, while Helix is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Crusaders will welcome the Highlanders at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Mater Dei Catholic 3, Helix 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While Mater Dei Catholic's victory against Mission Hills wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Crusaders beat the Grizzlies last Monday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 4-2. The win continues a trend for the Crusaders in their matchups with the Grizzlies: they've now won six in a row.
Arri Romero spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 17 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Charlize 'Chuck' Masingale was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. Lilia Alpuche was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
Mater Dei Catholic hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least two batters in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, while Helix put up plenty of runs on Wednesday, the same can't be said for Monte Vista. The Highlanders put the hurt on the Monarchs with a sharp 18-0 victory. Considering the Highlanders have won seven games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Helix also got a great performance from Vivienne Munoz as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave Munoz a new career-high.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kamilah Jones, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 2-for-2. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Nikaylah Domingo, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Helix is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Mater Dei Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 15-5.
Both Mater Dei Catholic and Helix just can't seem to miss. The Crusaders have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. However, it's not like Helix struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mater Dei Catholic took their win against Helix when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 11-5 score. Will the Crusaders repeat their success, or do the Highlanders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
