The ALA - West Foothills Guardians will square off against the Chino Valley Cougars at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
ALA - West Foothills is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Highland Prep get on the board and left with a 26-0 victory on Thursday. The Guardians might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matchups by ten runs or more this season.
Ava LaHair
| 04/17/25 @ Highland Prep | 4 |
| 03/12/24 vs Tonopah Valley | 3 |
| 03/12/24 vs Tonopah Valley | 3 |
| 04/14/25 @ Odyssey Institute | 2 |
| 02/28/25 vs Blue Ridge | 2 |
Ava LaHair made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Those four hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Ave Risati was a standout: she fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-3. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Alyssa Hovanec, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs.
ALA - West Foothills was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .706. They are 11-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Chino Valley got the win against Highland Prep on Monday by a conclusive 11-0. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.
Like ALA - West Foothills, Chino Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Kinsey Murphy. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Murphy was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Aden Hubble and Jordan Mortensen did most of the damage at the plate: Hubble went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while Mortensen went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. That RBI was Mortensen's first of the season. Jamie Felton was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
The win was the fourth in a row for ALA - West Foothills, bringing their record up to 14-7. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Chino Valley, they pushed their record up to 12-9 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. ALA - West Foothills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .423. However, it's not like Chino Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .315. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
ALA - West Foothills beat Chino Valley 5-1 when the teams last played back in March. Will the Guardians repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
