The Lakeside Lancers will take on the Chaparral Pumas at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Lakeside will be strutting in after a victory while Chaparral will be coming in after a loss.
Lakeside took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Perris 12-2. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Lancers considering their two-run performance the game before.
Adryanna Alvarez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Alvarez was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Natalie Franco, who went 1-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. She also brought in an RBI, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Reese Fisher, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Lakeside was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. The last time their batting average was this high was back in March of 2024.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Friday as neither Chaparral nor Great Oak made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Pumas took a 6-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wolfpack. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 27, 2023, but that streak is no more.
Keira Beierly made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run.
Chaparral's defeat dropped their record down to 3-15. As for Lakeside, their win bumped their record up to 5-12.
Chaparral's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. Lakeside has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Chaparral, though, as they've been averaging only 1.9 strikeouts. Will Lakeside keep running through batters, or will the Pumas buck the trend?
Everything went Lakeside's way against Chaparral when the teams last played back in February of 2024, as Lakeside made off with an 8-2 victory. Do the Lancers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pumas turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
