USC-MAE is 1-8-1 against Orthopaedic since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Trojans will venture away from home to square off against the Vipers at 2:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Orthopaedic will be up against a hot USC-MAE team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Everything went the Trojans' way against Annenberg on Monday as they made off with a 23-11 win.
Meanwhile, Orthopaedic got the win against Central City Value on Monday by a conclusive 13-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Vipers.
Alexa Becerra made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. She has been hot, having posted two or more stolen bases the last five times she's played.
In other batting news, Orthopaedic let Melanie Garcia and Elizabeth Ajin run wild. Garcia went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one stolen base, while Ajin scored a run and stole three bases while going 2-for-2. Garcia is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last six games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Natalie Garcia, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.
USC-MAE pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 21.9 runs over those games. As for Orthopaedic, their record now sits at 6-4.
USC-MAE might still be hurting after the 15-7 loss they got from Orthopaedic in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Trojans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
