The Medina Valley Panthers will head out to take on the Southwest Dragons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Southwest will be up against a hot Medina Valley squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Everything went Medina Valley's way against Del Rio on Tuesday as Medina Valley made off with a 9-2 win.
Makenzie Vallejo made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. What's more, she posted five strikeouts, the most she's had since back in February of 2024. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while going 3-for-5.
In other pitching news, Lyssy Salazar looked comfortable as she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in February.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Avery Nash, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Madison Camacho was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Medina Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Del Rio only managed four hits.
Meanwhile, Southwest waltzed into their game on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They blew past the Cowboys 9-2. With that victory, the Dragons brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Sienna Diaz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Makenzie Calandres was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. Genaya Santos also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Southwest's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-5. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Medina Valley, their record is now 11-6.
Southwest's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Medina Valley has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .465. It's a different story for Southwest, though, as they've only averaged .348. Will they be able to contain Medina Valley's hitters?
Medina Valley was able to grind out a solid victory over Southwest when the teams last played back in March of 2024, winning 8-4. Does Medina Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Southwest turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
