The Las Plumas Thunderbirds will face off against the Chico Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Las Plumas will be looking to extend their current 21-game winning streak.
Las Plumas is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past East Nicolaus 7-6.
Kyler Storey spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Raegan Johnson, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Marli Benedict, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Las Plumas hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East Nicolaus struck out eight times.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Chico ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They walked away with a 5-2 win over Monterey.
McKena Harvey was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over eight innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 16 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run.
Harvey wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Addi Hosier, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Chico's victory bumped their record up to 26-7. As for Las Plumas, their win bumped their record up to 30-1-1.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Las Plumas has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10 hits per game. However, it's not like Chico struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Las Plumas skirted past Chico 13-12 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Will the Thunderbirds repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
