The East Central Hornets will take on the Clemens Buffaloes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. East Central is coming into the game hot, having won their last three games.
East Central will bounce into Friday's match after beating Canyon, who they had gone 1-7 against in their eight prior meetings. The Hornets never let the Cougars get on the board and left with a 3-0 victory on Friday.
The result came thanks to Jenise Ramirez's shutout, as she gave up just six hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Rehana Cuellar, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Clemens, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They blew past Johnson 17-8 on Friday. The Buffaloes might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 contests by six runs or more this season.
Sophia Valencia made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. Valencia was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Clemens got a massive performance out of Erika Padron, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Celestina Daniels was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
Clemens kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.
East Central's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-8. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Clemens, their win bumped their record up to 17-7.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. East Central hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .382. However, it's not like Clemens struggles in that department as they've averaged .386. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
East Central took their victory against Clemens in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 9-3 score. Will the Hornets repeat their success, or do the Buffaloes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
