The Notus Pirates will face off against the Horseshoe Bend Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Horseshoe Bend took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Notus, who comes in off a win.
Notus hadn't beaten Greenleaf Friends Academy on the road since April 12, 2022 but that history sure didn't bother them on Wednesday. The Pirates put the hurt on the Grizzlies with a sharp 20-3 win. The result was nothing new for the Pirates, who have now won nine games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Emalee Thomas was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. Thomas was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-6 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Notus got a massive performance out of Fatima Alvarez, who went 3-for-4 with four stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. With that strong performance, Alvarez is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game. Another player making a difference was Victoria Zamora, who went 5-for-6 with four runs, four RBI, and one triple.
Notus always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .694. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Greenleaf Friends Academy only posted an OBP of .375.
Garden Valley hit Horseshoe Bend with a six-run second inning on Saturday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mustangs came up short against the Wolverines, falling 14-1.
The victory made it two in a row for Notus and bumps their season record up to 10-7. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 20.5 runs over those games. As for Horseshoe Bend, their loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 4-9.
Everything went Notus' way against Horseshoe Bend in their previous meeting back in April, as Notus made off with a 10-2 victory. Will the Pirates repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
