The Heritage Patriots will head out on the road to take on the Arlington Lions at 3:15 p.m. on Friday.
Things were looking good for Heritage after they put the first run on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They took a 7-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Canyon Springs. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Patriots couldn't push the score so high this time.
Natalia York
| 04/29/25 vs Canyon Springs | 3 |
| 04/24/25 @ Vista del Lago | 1 |
| 04/22/25 @ Hillcrest | 1 |
Natalia York made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and one run. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Arlington ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. Everything went their way against JW North as they made off with a 9-3 win. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by six runs or more this season.
Itzel Hernandez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, Ryleigh Pliego was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March. Mia Cortez was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one triple.
Arlington has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.1 runs over those games. As for Heritage, they dropped their record down to 5-16 with the loss, which was their third straight at home.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Heritage hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Arlington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Heritage suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Arlington in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can the Patriots avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
