Gunderson and Del Mar are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Gunderson Grizzlies will head out on the road to challenge the Del Mar Dons at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Gunderson sitting on seven straight wins and Del Mar on four.
Gunderson will head into Wednesday's match hoping to keep the good times rolling: they proved they can win big on Monday (they won by 15) but on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Overfelt and snuck past 11-9.
Alanna Martinez Poklong made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 16 batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and five unearned) runs off seven hits. Martinez Poklong has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. Martinez Poklong was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sabrina Gonzales, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. Breanna Bartek was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Del Mar can now show off 13 landslide victories after their most recent game on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 19-5 margin over James Lick.
Like Gunderson, Del Mar also got a great game from a two-way player: Sienna Denson. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Denson was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with five RBI, three runs, and a triple.
In other batting news, Del Mar got a massive performance out of Julianne Garcia, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 4-for-5. Another player making a difference was Niarah Aimonetti, who scored four runs while going 3-for-5.
Gunderson's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-3. As for Del Mar, their record is now 14-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Gunderson has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Del Mar struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Gunderson suffered a grim 11-4 defeat to Del Mar in their previous matchup back in April. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Del Mar's Natalie Dixon, who struck out 16 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Now that Gunderson knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
