The Superior Panthers will take on the San Manuel Miners at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Superior is coming into the match hot, having won their last nine games.
Superior's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Gilbert Classical Academy with a sharp 9-0 victory. Considering the Panthers have won 12 contests by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Alyna Cruz
| 04/16/25 @ Gilbert Classical Academy | 16 |
| 04/09/25 @ Hayden | 12 |
| 04/11/25 vs Fort Thomas | 9 |
| 04/12/25 vs San Simon | 7 |
| 03/21/25 vs Hayden | 6 |
Alyna Cruz made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 16 over seven innings pitched. Those 16 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Faith Denogean, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Lilliana Fritz, who got on base in two of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Superior hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, San Manuel didn't have quite enough to beat Maryvale on Wednesday and fell 10-8.
Brianna Ivy and Laila Ruiz stepped up to the plate in a big way. Ivy got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Ruiz went a perfect 4-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Ruiz has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Cienna Maghinay, who went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Superior's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-6. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.8 runs over those games. As for San Manuel, their loss dropped their record down to 5-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Superior has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like San Manuel struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Superior came up short against San Manuel when the teams last played back in March, falling 10-6. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
