North Garland is 1-9 against Naaman Forest since March of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The North Garland Raiders will welcome the Naaman Forest Rangers at 12:30 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
North Garland is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against South Garland on Friday as North Garland made off with a 25-7 victory. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Raiders as it put an end to their seven-game losing streak.
Marhiana Hughes was incredible, firing off two home runs, six RBI, and four runs while going 4-for-5. The team also got some help courtesy of Cristina Valencia, who went 3-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
North Garland was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .565. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as South Garland only posted a batting average of .320.
Naaman Forest never got on the board in their matchup last Friday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Lakeview Centennial last Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Patriots with a sharp 11-2 victory. Considering the Rangers' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Naaman Forest also got a great performance from Caitlyn Way as she tossed five innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. What's more, Way gave up only two walks, the fewest she's had since back in February.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Adalis Jaramillo, who scored three runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February of 2024. Karsyn Rios was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Naaman Forest's win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 5-12. As for North Garland, the victory was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 2-14.
Monday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. North Garland has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .462. However, it's not like Naaman Forest struggles in that department as they've averaged .463. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
North Garland came out on top in a nail-biter against Naaman Forest in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 16-15. Does North Garland have another victory up their sleeve, or will Naaman Forest turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
