The Legacy Longhorns will square off against the Foothill Falcons at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Legacy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They put the hurt on Spring Valley with a sharp 13-3 win. Considering the Longhorns have won 13 matches by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Madison Castellon was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Aofia Noa was another key player, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and two doubles.
Legacy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Spring Valley only posted an OBP of .250.
Meanwhile, Foothill faced Southeast Career Tech in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Falcons came out on top against the Roadrunners by a score of 12-7. That's two games straight that the Falcons have won by exactly five runs.
Camren VanThomme made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and three unearned) runs off 11 hits. VanThomme was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hailey Gilbertson, who went 2-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Julie Stanton, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Legacy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 15 of their last 16 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.9 runs over those games. As for Foothill, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 13-11-1.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Legacy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .389. However, it's not like Foothill struggles in that department as they've averaged .355. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Legacy skirted past Foothill 12-11 in their previous matchup last Thursday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Longhorns since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
