Needles is on a 14-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Awaken Christian is on a six-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Needles Mustangs will challenge the Awaken Christian Lions at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Needles is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Pahrump Valley, who was ranked 12th in their home state at the time (Needles was ranked 24th). Needles came out on top against Pahrump Valley by a score of 25-21 on Tuesday. The Mustangs' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Emmerson Powell
| 03/18/25 @ Pahrump Valley | 6 |
| 04/26/24 vs GV Christian | 4 |
| 03/22/24 @ Awaken Christian | 4 |
| 03/06/25 @ Holtville | 3 |
| 05/11/24 vs White Pine | 3 |
Emmerson Powell was incredible, going 6-for-7 with one home run, six runs, and two triples. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Scotti Powell, who went 4-for-6 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Needles always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
While Awaken Christian didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-8), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against Beaver Dam on Friday as Awaken Christian made off with a 21-3 win. Fans of the Lions have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Margaux Burney was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Burney was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaylee Rasmussen, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four stolen bases, and four runs. Rasmussen is also crushing it when it comes to RBI: she's brought in at least three every time she's taken the field this season. Cailey Velarde was another key player, scoring four runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Needles has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs over those games. Awaken Christian's victory bumped their record up to 4-0.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Needles hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Awaken Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Everything went Needles' way against Awaken Christian in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Needles made off with a 15-0 win. Does Needles have another victory up their sleeve, or will Awaken Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
