Shadow Ridge had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They walked away with a 6-2 victory over the Centennial Bulldogs on Wednesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Loa Duarte was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in April. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, one triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chloe Covington, who went 1-for-3 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Devaeh Crawford, who went 2-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.
Shadow Ridge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .480. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Centennial only posted a batting average of .143.
Mustangs
| 05/06/26 vs Centennial | 6-2 |
| 05/04/26 vs Green Valley | 15-10 |
| 04/29/26 vs Green Valley | 12-7 |
| 04/27/26 vs Liberty | 7-4 |
Shadow Ridge's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Centennial, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-21.
Looking ahead, Shadow Ridge will face off against Coronado at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Mustangs' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Cougars have averaged an impressive 6.4 runs per game this season. Centennial does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
