Softball Recap: Mesa Grande Academy Wins Going Away Against Desert Chapel

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Redlands Adventist Academy, Mesa Grande Academy was happy to have turned things around on Tuesday. Everything went their way against the Desert Chapel Eagles as they made off with a 23-5 victory. The contest marked the Cardinals' most dominant win of the season so far.

Melody Bender made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Bender is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season.

Allie Purse

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/08/25 @ Desert Chapel	3
04/03/25 vs Redlands Adventist Academy	2
04/04/24 vs River Springs Charter School Magnolia	2
03/18/25 @ Public Safety Academy	1
04/08/24 @ Redlands Adventist Academy	1

In other batting news, Allie Purse was a standout: she scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (three). Julianne Wills also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen bases of the season.

Mesa Grande Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .697. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .609 or higher in three consecutive matchups.

Mesa Grande Academy's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 3-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.0 runs over those games. As for Desert Chapel, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 0-4.

Looking ahead, Mesa Grande Academy will take on Bethel Christian at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The Kings have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 9.13 runs per game on average), something the Cardinals will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Desert Chapel, they have already played their next game, a 24-14 defeat against Redlands Adventist Academy on the 9th.