The Joseph City Wildcats will square off against the Show Low Cougars at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Joseph City 3.6, Show Low 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Joseph City will bounce into Saturday's game after beating Williams, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Wildcats put the hurt on the Vikings with a sharp 13-1 victory on Thursday. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 16 matches by eight runs or more this season.
Meanwhile, Show Low came tearing into Friday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bulldogs, sneaking past 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Cougars have posted since March 6, 2024.
Addisyn Clark was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
Clark wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Rylee Wyatt, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another was Ari Rivera, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Show Low's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-6. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.2 runs over those games. As for Joseph City, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 21-3.
Joseph City came out on top in a nail-biter against Show Low in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 11-9. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
