Mission Hills hasn't had much luck against Mater Dei Catholic recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Grizzlies will take on the Crusaders at 4:00 p.m. Mission Hills' pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Mater Dei Catholic's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Mission Hills will face Mater Dei Catholic after dropping another heartbreaker against Rancho Bernardo on Friday, which marked the second time in a row the team's come within 2.1 of beating them. The Grizzlies took an 8-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Broncos.
Oloa Motas was huge no matter where she played even without the win. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Motas was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Addison Russell made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Mater Dei Catholic posted their closest win since March 27th on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Olympian, sneaking past 4-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Crusaders.
Mater Dei Catholic saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Arri Romero, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Mater Dei Catholic hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Olympian struck out 11 times.
Mater Dei Catholic pushed their record up to 14-5 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Mission Hills, their loss dropped their record down to 8-7.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Mission Hills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. However, it's not like Mater Dei Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .345. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mission Hills suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to Mater Dei Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Can the Grizzlies avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
