The Capital Christian Cougars will face off against the Ponderosa Bruins at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Capital Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They never let Christian Brothers onto the board and left with a 6-0 victory. Winning may never get old, but Capital Christian sure is getting used to it with their eighth in a row.
Ayla Tuua made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. Tuua has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Tuua was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Alannah Tuua was excellent, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with a stolen base and an RBI. Another player making a difference was Bree Johnson, who scored a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Ponderosa had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.8 runs), and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. Everything went their way against the Wolverine as they made off with a 9-2 win.
Like Capital Christian, Ponderosa also got a great game from a two-way player: Chase Mueller. She struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). Mueller was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double.
In other batting news, Brynn Escobar was incredible, going 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. Brooklynn Nordquist was another key contributor, going 1-for-2 with a home run.
Capital Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 15 of their last 16 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 22-2-1 record this season. As for Ponderosa, their record is now 20-5.
Capital Christian's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's game. Capital Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Ponderosa, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Capital Christian continue to outrun the ball?
Capital Christian might still be hurting after the 11-1 defeat they got from Ponderosa when the teams last played back in March of 2022. Thankfully for Capital Christian, Ana Niles (who kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
