The Tooele Buffaloes are taking a road trip to challenge the Mountain Ridge Sentinels at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Tooele is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Tooele fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Stansbury on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Stallions by a score of 6-5. The Buffaloes have struggled against the Stallions recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Kenni Molgard spent all 7.1 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits.
On the hitting side, Dakota-Sky Gallaher made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one double. Olivia Nelson also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Mountain Ridge won against Corner Canyon two weeks ago with 15 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again last Friday. The Sentinels were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over Cedar Valley. Considering the Sentinels have won five contests by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Chloe Tycksen and Kelli Christiansen did most of the damage at the plate: Tycksen scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2, while Christiansen scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs Christiansen has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooklyn Van Renselaar, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
Mountain Ridge always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cedar Valley only posted an OBP of .250.
The win (which was Mountain Ridge's third in a row) raised their record to 10-1. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Tooele, their loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 5-8.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Tooele hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. However, it's not like Mountain Ridge struggles in that department as they've averaged .404. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
