Mountain Lions
| 04/10/25 @ Liberty | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Shadow Ridge | 3 |
| 04/08/25 @ O'Connor | 1 |
| 04/03/25 @ Pinnacle | 4 |
| 04/01/25 vs Boulder Creek | 6 |
| + 14 more games |
The Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions will square off against the Queen Creek Bulldogs at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Mountain Ridge is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
While Mountain Ridge's victory against Liberty wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Mountain Lions won by a run and slipped past the Lions 2-1. The win continues a trend for the Mountain Lions in their matchups with the Lions: they've now won five in a row.
Gianna Torres spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up 13 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Mountain Ridge saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ainsley Cottrell, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Queen Creek had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it nine on Monday. They put the hurt on the Black Hawks with a sharp 16-1 victory. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 13 contests by six runs or more this season.
Queen Creek also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Alexis Mendez gave up only one earned run on two hits and racked up 17 Ks. Those 17 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for Mendez.
On the hitting side, Queen Creek let Emma Reynolds and Kayla Porter run wild. Reynolds went 3-for-4 with four runs, one triple, and one double, while Porter went 3-for-4 with five RBI and two doubles. Those five RBI gave Porter a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Madison Peterson, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
Queen Creek kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in four consecutive games.
Queen Creek's win was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-5. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Mountain Ridge, their win bumped their record up to 14-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Mountain Ridge hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Queen Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.3 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Mountain Ridge might still be hurting after the 8-0 loss they got from Queen Creek when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Mountain Lions have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
