Oregon hasn't had much luck against Stillman Valley recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Hawks will challenge the Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Oregon and Genoa-Kingston have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Thursday. The Hawks were the clear victors by an 11-3 margin over the Cogs. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Hawks have posted against the Cogs since April 12, 2022.
Isabelle Berg spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up 17 Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Olivia Ortega, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Madison Shaffer, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Oregon hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Stillman Valley took on Byron on Wednesday. The Cardinals never let the Tigers get on the board and left with a 6-0 win. Winning may never get old, but the Cardinals sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Stillman Valley's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-8. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Oregon, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 20-10.
Oregon couldn't quite finish off Stillman Valley in their previous matchup back in April and fell 2-0. Can the Hawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
