The Xavier College Prep Gators have the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome the Desert Vista Thunder at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Wednesday, Xavier College Prep faced O'Connor in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Xavier College Prep's pitcher stepped up to hand O'Connor a 13-0 shutout.
Angie Falls made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Falls was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Sariah McNabb and Lauren Putz did most of the damage at the plate: McNabb went 3-for-3 with a home run, seven RBI, and a stolen base, while Putz scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Riley McKeever, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Desert Vista had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs), and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. They put the hurt on the Panthers with a sharp 8-0 win. Desert Vista's pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three contests.
The result came thanks to Olivia Kingery's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Ava Briski was incredible, firing off two home runs, three runs, and a double while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaymie Larney, who went 1-for-3 with a home run.
Xavier College Prep's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-2-1. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs per game. As for Desert Vista, their win bumped their record up to 14-3.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Xavier College Prep has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .497. However, it's not like Desert Vista struggles in that department as they've averaged .478. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Xavier College Prep came up short against Desert Vista in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, falling 5-0. Thankfully for Xavier College Prep, Jocelyn Briski (who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
