The Reed Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Spanish Springs Cougars at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Reed is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
Reed is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: McQueen, who was ranked 14th at the time (Reed was ranked second). The Raiders fell just short of the Lancers by a score of 3-2 on Thursday. Having soared to a lofty 14 runs in the game before, the Raiders couldn't push the score so high this time.
Krystyn Noble made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Spanish Springs ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They won by a run and slipped past Douglas 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Cougars have posted since April 30, 2024.
Hannah Fitzpatrick spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on ten hits.
At the plate, Izzy Chisholm was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Mackenzie Kirkendoll, who went 2-for-5 with two runs.
Spanish Springs was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. They are 15-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Spanish Springs pushed their record up to 20-8-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Reed, with the loss, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 24-5.
Saturday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Reed hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .380. However, it's not like Spanish Springs struggles in that department as they've averaged .393. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Reed couldn't quite finish off Spanish Springs in their previous matchup back in March and fell 6-4. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
