The West Linn Lions will challenge the Silverton Foxes at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. West Linn is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Silverton will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: West Linn extended their winning streak to three on Monday. The Lions came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against Tigard. Surprisingly, this marked the Lions' fourth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Meadow Sanborn tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Piper Ruthrauff was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run.
Central hit Silverton with a 11-run fourth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Foxes lost 18-8 to the Panthers. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Foxes have suffered since April 4th.
Madalynn Ehrens made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Lexington Rains, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
Silverton's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 16-8. As for West Linn, their win bumped their record up to 21-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. West Linn hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.2 home runs per game. However, it's not like Silverton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
West Linn was able to grind out a solid victory over Silverton when the teams last played back in March of 2024, winning 7-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
