Softball Preview: Rocklin Thunder vs. Bella Vista Broncos
The Rocklin Thunder will challenge the Bella Vista Broncos at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Rocklin is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Linden a 13-0 shutout. Rocklin's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Payton Prior made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Prior was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-1.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Savannah Grigsby, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Cat Alston, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Bella Vista gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Cordova as Bella Vista made off with a 10-0 victory.
Like Rocklin, Bella Vista also got a great game from a two-way player: Alyssa Dethlefson. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Dethlefson has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 11 consecutive pitching appearances. Dethlefson was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Bella Vista let Kylie Lair and Kaylie Hunt loose on the outfield. Lair went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI, while Hunt scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Hunt has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Laila Kirwan, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double.
Rocklin's win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 12-15. As for Bella Vista, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 19-4 record this season.
Rocklin skirted past Bella Vista 3-1 in their previous matchup back in May of 2016. Will Rocklin repeat their success, or does Bella Vista have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
