Whittier is 0-10 against California since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Whittier Cardinals are on the road again to play the California Condors at 3:15 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Whittier scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They never let St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy onto the board and left with a 32-0 victory. The win was just what Whittier needed coming off of a 12-6 loss in their prior matchup.
Whittier got a massive performance out of Olivia Pantoja, who scored five runs and stole four bases while going 5-for-5. The team also got some help courtesy of Reanen Sidle, who scored five runs and stole three bases while going 5-for-5.
Meanwhile, California came tearing into Tuesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 2.3 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Dons as they made off with a 10-4 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for California considering their two-run performance the match before.
Alexis Salas looked comfortable as she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single run in four consecutive pitching appearances. Jiselle Jimenez relieved her and did a solid job, striking out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ashley Hernandez, who went 3-for-4 with two triples, three runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Jessica Gurule, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Whittier's record is now 6-8. As for California, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-2 record this season.
Whittier's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's matchup. Whittier has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for California, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 per game. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Whittier continue to outrun the ball?
Whittier suffered a grim 11-0 defeat to California when the teams last played on March 5th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Salas, who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Now that Whittier knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
