The Lakeside Lancers will challenge the Rancho Verde Mustangs at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Lakeside has given up an average of 8.9 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
On Tuesday, Lakeside came up short against Moreno Valley and fell 11-8.
Adryanna Alvarez
| 04/29/25 @ Moreno Valley | 1 |
| 04/24/25 vs Rancho Christian | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs Citrus Hill | 2 |
| 04/19/25 vs Chaparral | 1 |
Adryanna Alvarez and Savana Swick stepped up to the plate in a big way. Alvarez went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI, while Swick went 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Alvarez has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Natalie Franco, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles and one run.
Meanwhile, Rancho Verde had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.9 runs) and they went ahead and made it nine on Tuesday. Everything went their way against the Panthers as they made off with a 14-4 win. The Mustangs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Isabelle Sena made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Sena was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Liah Navarro was incredible, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs and one RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Khylee Dade was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Rancho Verde hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least three batters in four consecutive games.
Rancho Verde pushed their record up to 15-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.4 runs over those games. As for Lakeside, their loss dropped their record down to 7-14.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lakeside has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rancho Verde struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lakeside suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Rancho Verde in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Will the Lancers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
