A feisty cat fight will be fought as Escondido Charter Tigers challenge Valley Center Jaguars at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Escondido Charter has three straight wins, Valley Center has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Thursday, Escondido Charter made easy work of Bishop's and carried off a 9-2 victory. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won six matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Lilly Harper was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, Amber Rossback was a standout: she scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Zaliyah Jones, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Escondido Charter hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Valley Center's offense. They came up short against El Camino on Friday, falling 11-0.
Escondido Charter pushed their record up to 8-2 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Valley Center, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.
Escondido Charter took their win against Valley Center in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 12-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Escondido Charter since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
