Parker is 2-8 against River Valley since March of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Broncs are taking a road trip to face off against the Dust Devils at 5:00 p.m.
Parker is headed into Thursday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Monday. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 3-1 heartbreaker at the hands of Kingman. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Broncs have suffered against the Bulldogs since April 30, 2021.
Parker saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rowan Holt, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
River Valley never got on the board in their matchup on Monday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Odyssey Institute on Wednesday. They walked away with a 13-8 win over the Minotaur. With that victory, the Dust Devils brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Mickey Gonzalez made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Gonzalez was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hunter Koehler, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with five stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Zain Bruton was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
River Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .519. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Odyssey Institute only posted a batting average of .357.
River Valley is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-3-2 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Parker, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Parker has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like River Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Parker might still be hurting after the 11-1 loss they got from River Valley when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Broncs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
