The Xavier College Prep Gators will challenge the Desert Ridge Jaguars at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Xavier College Prep is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
Xavier College Prep's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They walked away with a 4-0 win over Perry.
Angie Falls made a splash while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 14 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with three RBI.
Falls wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Joie Ramos, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Desert Ridge's good fortune finally ran out on Monday. They lost 11-1 to Highland. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Jaguars couldn't push the score so high this time.
Halle Davis was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run. Aleeya Barwick was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one double.
Xavier College Prep pushed their record up to 15-5-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Desert Ridge, their defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 6-1 and their overall record down to 16-7.
Desert Ridge's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Xavier College Prep has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.8 hits per game. It's a different story for Desert Ridge, though, as they've been averaging 8.8 hits. Given Xavier College Prep's sizable advantage in that area, the Jaguars will need to find a way to close that gap.
Xavier College Prep came out on top in a nail-biter against Desert Ridge in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. Do the Gators have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Jaguars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
