Holmes had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs), and they went ahead and made it seven on Friday. They had just enough and edged the Taft Raiders out 5-3. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Holmes also won the last time the pair played back in March.
Nevaeh Herrera spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in ten consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Sydnie Rios and Melanie Vargas did most of the damage at the plate: Rios scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-1, while Vargas went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Rios has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Nevaeh Alcantar, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
On Taft's side, Alyssa Rangel was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up five earned runs off six hits. Rangel was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-5.
Rangel wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Juliana Guerrero, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. Hannah Flores was another key contributor, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with a double.
Holmes has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a massive bump to their 16-10-1 record this season. As for Taft, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-12.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Holmes' homestand will continue as they prepare to take on Brennan at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Brennan is coming into the game with 13 straight wins on the road, so Holmes will have to stop a team with plenty of momentum. As for Taft, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Jay at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Jay hasn't scored more than two runs for 11 games straight, a trend the squad is eager to reverse.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
