The Hug Hawks will venture away from home to challenge the Fernley Vaqueros at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Hug has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with five straight defeats, while Fernley will come in with three straight victories.
Hug lost 17-2 to Sparks on Monday.
Hug saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Daisy Torres, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two stolen bases, one double, and one RBI. Juliana Ruiz was another, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double.
The home team had won the previous two meetings between Fernley and Elko, and Fernley kept the tradition alive. The Vaqueros narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Indians 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Vaqueros have posted against the Indians since May 6, 2023.
Taylor Tollestrup was incredible, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, three stolen bases, and three runs. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last 14 games she's played.
Fernley's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-8. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Hug, their loss dropped their record down to 3-18.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Hug hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .464. However, it's not like Fernley struggles in that department as they've averaged .380. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hug suffered a grim 17-1 defeat to Fernley when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Can the Hawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
