The La Serna Lancers will take on the Beckman Patriots in a tournament on Saturday. La Serna will be strutting in after a win while Beckman will be coming in after a defeat.
Beckman will be up against a hot La Serna team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Lancers blew past Whittier 9-1 on Thursday. Considering the Lancers have won six matchups by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Karina Torres
| 04/10/25 @ Whittier | 0 |
| 04/08/25 @ El Rancho | 1 |
| 04/03/25 @ Santa Fe | 1 |
Karina Torres looked comfortable as she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, La Serna let Lexi Avila and Elissa Guerrero run wild. Avila went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Guerrero went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs Avila has posted since back in February. Paulina Ortega also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
La Serna lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Beckman unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of San Juan Hills by a score of 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Patriots have suffered since March 8th.
Kiyomi Okamoto spent all 11 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and one unearned) runs on 11 hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, Jazmine Cruz made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Katelyn Park, who went 2-for-5 with two RBI.
La Serna pushed their record up to 10-5 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Beckman, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-5.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. La Serna hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .368. However, it's not like Beckman struggles in that department as they've averaged .334. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
