Montgomery hasn't had much luck against Hilltop recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Aztecs will look to defend their home field against the Lancers at 3:30 p.m. Montgomery has given up an average of 8.6 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Last Friday, Montgomery came up short against Lincoln and fell 11-8. The Aztecs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hilltop). They were the clear victors by a 16-2 margin over San Ysidro on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Catherine Vasquez and Maricela Barajas made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Vasquez pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Barajas pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. At the plate, Vasquez scored a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Barajas scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Those two runs gave Barajas a new career-high.
In other batting news, Olivia Mertz was a standout: she scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Nevaeh Matos, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and one double.
Hilltop hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in eight consecutive games.
Hilltop is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-7-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Montgomery, their loss dropped their record down to 11-7.
Montgomery might still be hurting after the 32-5 defeat they got from Hilltop in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can the Aztecs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
