South El Monte is 9-1 against El Monte since May of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The South El Monte Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the El Monte Lions at 3:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
El Monte is hoping to do on Thursday what Arroyo couldn't on Tuesday: put an end to South El Monte's winning streak, which now stands at ten games. South El Monte blew past Arroyo 7-1.
Nadine Gutierrez made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). Gutierrez was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, South El Monte got a big performance out of Jocelyn Lopez, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Loreli Castrejon, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, El Monte had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs), and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They never let the Eagles onto the board and left with a 10-0 victory.
Like South El Monte, El Monte also got a great game from a two-way player: Camila Abundis. She pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Abundis has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Abundis was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Natalie Meza was excellent, going 1-for-1 with a home run. Emily Reyes was another key contributor, scoring two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
South El Monte pushed their record up to 19-5-2 with that win, which was their 11th straight at home. As for El Monte, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. South El Monte has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .476. However, it's not like El Monte struggles in that department as they've averaged .462. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South El Monte skirted past El Monte 6-5 in their previous matchup back in March. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was El Monte's Elisa Gonzalez, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will South El Monte still be able to contain Gonzalez? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
