Soquel is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Aptos is on a seven-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Knights will host the Mariners at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Soquel 2.5, Aptos 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Aptos' hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Thursday: Soquel hadn't allowed a single run the last five times they've hit the field. The Knights' pitcher stepped up to hand San Lorenzo Valley a 2-0 shutout on Tuesday.
San Lorenzo Valley's batters probably weren't too happy with Kiyomi Dunlap, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 12 Ks (she gave up a single walk). Dunlap has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Soquel's victory was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Emma Niizawa, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run.
Soquel 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 ten hits in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Aptos). Everything went their way against Harbor on Tuesday as they made off with a 16-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Mariners, who have now won ten matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Sofia Marin made a splash while hitting and pitching. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Marin was even better at the plate, going a perfect 5-for-5 with three doubles, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those three doubles gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Aptos got a massive performance out of Gwen Vaca, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. What's more, Vaca posted two RBI, the most she's had since back in March. Natalie Arreola was another key player, going 2-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base.
Aptos' victory bumped their record up to 18-4. As for Soquel, their win bumped their record up to 16-5.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Soquel hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .342. However, it's not like Aptos struggles in that department as they've averaged .385. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Soquel couldn't quite get it done against Aptos in their previous meeting back in March as they fell 7-2. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
