The Box Elder Bees will challenge the Mountain Crest Mustangs at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Box Elder's favor as the team sits on 13 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Mountain Crest has been banged up by eight consecutive losses on the road.
On Tuesday, Box Elder got the win against Viewmont by a conclusive 17-2. The Bees might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 15 matches by seven runs or more this season.
Kennadie Blackmer made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, firing off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-3. That's the most home runs she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Alexis Hales, who fired off three home runs and six RBI while going 3-for-4. Those three home runs gave her a new career-high. Brooke Richards was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI.
Box Elder always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .588. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Viewmont only posted an OBP of .333.
West Field hit Mountain Crest with a four-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mustangs lost 11-1 to the Longhorns.
Mountain Crest saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dani Alexander, who went 1-for-2 with one triple.
Box Elder is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Mountain Crest, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-14.
Box Elder's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. The Bees have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Mountain Crest, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Box Elder continue to outrun the ball?
Box Elder was able to grind out a solid victory over Mountain Crest in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, winning 9-5. Do the Bees have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
