Desert Pines hasn't had much luck against Rancho recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Jaguars will look to defend their home field against the Rams at 3:30 p.m. Desert Pines has given up an average of 22 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Desert Pines is headed into Thursday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 22nd straight game dating back to last season on Thursday. They lost 19-4 to Clark.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Rancho). They blew past Pinecrest Academy Cadence 17-2 on Tuesday. With that victory, the Rams brought their scoring average up to 7.4 runs per game.
Annalise Stout was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Stout was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Layla Stout and Alyssa Velez did most of the damage at the plate: Layla scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Velez went 1-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Those three RBI gave Velez a new career-high. Katelee Nelson was another key player, scoring four runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Rancho hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pinecrest Academy Cadence struck out eight times.
The win made it two in a row for Rancho and bumps their season record up to 3-4. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Desert Pines, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.
Desert Pines suffered a grim 18-0 defeat to Rancho in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Jaguars 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
