The Estrella Foothills Wolves will challenge the Cactus Cobras at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Estrella Foothills barely beat Agua Fria the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Wolves never let the Owls get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory on Thursday. The Wolves haven't had any issues with the Owls recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Ilse Penaloza Leyva was a major factor no matter where she played. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other pitching news, Marissa Flippen looked comfortable as she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Penaloza Leyva wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Annasi Dilley, who went 2-for-3 with two runs. Another was Chloe Montano, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Estrella Foothills was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Cactus had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They blew past the Knights 16-1. Considering the Cobras have won nine games by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Estrella Foothills, Cactus also got a great game from a two-way player: Riley Kilgore. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Kilgore was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and one run. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Trinity Pichardo and Charley Enos did most of the damage at the plate: Pichardo went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs, while Enos went 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. That's the most runs Pichardo has posted since back in April of 2024. Faith Larsen was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Estrella Foothills' victory bumped their record up to 4-18. As for Cactus, they now have a winning record of 10-9.
Everything went Estrella Foothills' way against Cactus in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Estrella Foothills made off with a 26-5 win. Will the Wolves repeat their success, or do the Cobras have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
