The Banning Broncos will challenge the United Christian Academy Eagles at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Banning is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They blew past Century 13-4. The victory was nothing new for the Broncos as they're now sitting on three straight.
Ella Leivas made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Banning let Grace Eckman and Alexus Villasenor run wild. Eckman went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while Villasenor got on base in four of her eight plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases Villasenor has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Lilly Anderez, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last matchup, United Christian Academy made sure to put some runs up on the board against Environmental Charter on Thursday. The Eagles put the hurt on the White Tigers with a sharp 17-1 win.
Like Banning, United Christian Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Lariah Avila. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. Avila was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, United Christian Academy got a massive performance out of Tiffany Sanchez, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Elizabeth Ram?rez was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two triples, four RBI, and two runs.
United Christian Academy is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.8 runs over those games. As for Banning, their win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-5.
