The Alisal Trojans will face off against the Carmel Padres at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Tuesday, Alisal needed a bit of extra time to put away King City. They put the hurt on the Mustangs with a sharp 8-2 victory. The win was familiar territory for the Trojans, who have now won four games in a row.
Nevaeh Lopez
| 05/13/25 @ King City | 1 |
| 05/08/25 @ Soledad | 1 |
| 05/06/25 @ Stevenson | 0 |
| 05/06/25 vs Stevenson | 1 |
| 04/29/25 vs Pacific Grove | 2 |
| 04/28/25 @ Gonzales | 1 |
Nevaeh Lopez made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over eight innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs.
Lopez wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Iliana Cruz, who went 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another was Jasmine Estrada, who went 2-for-5 with one stolen base and one run.
Alisal kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Carmel got themselves on the board against Soledad on Tuesday, but Soledad never followed suit. They blew past the Aztecs 10-0. Winning may never get old, but the Padres sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Like Alisal, Carmel also got a great game from a two-way player: Ava Mangiapane. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. Mangiapane was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kristen Mastin, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Lily Beals was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Alisal pushed their record up to 18-5 with the victory, which was their ninth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Carmel, their victory bumped their record up to 18-5.
Carmel's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Alisal has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Carmel, though, as they've been averaging 8.9 hits. Given Alisal's sizable advantage in that area, the Padres will need to find a way to close that gap.
Alisal beat Carmel 5-2 in their previous meeting back in April. Do the Trojans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Padres turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
