The San Diego Cavers will square off against the Mission Bay Buccaneers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Wednesday just wasn't the day for San Diego's offense. They lost 10-0 to Morse on Wednesday. Having soared to a lofty 20 runs in the game before, the Cavers' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
San Diego saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Madison McNamara, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three stolen bases. With that strong performance, McNamara is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mission Bay). They never let Crawford get on the board and left with a 16-0 win on Wednesday. Considering the Buccaneers have won six contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Abby Nelson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, two RBI, and one double. Those three runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Kassie Zavala was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. Indy Beesley was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Mission Bay always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Mission Bay has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for San Diego, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. San Diego has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Mission Bay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
San Diego came up short against Mission Bay in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 12-7. Will the Cavers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
