The Highland Prep Honey Badgers will square off against the ALA - West Foothills Guardians at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Highland Prep has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with eight straight losses, while ALA - West Foothills will come in with three straight wins.
Highland Prep fell victim to River Valley and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They lost 21-0 to the Dust Devils. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, the Honey Badgers' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask ALA - West Foothills). They never let Tonopah Valley get on the board and left with a 23-0 victory on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Guardians, who have now won 11 matches by ten runs or more so far this season.
Ava LaHair made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Olivia Gonzalez was a standout: she scored four runs and stole four bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March of 2024. Madelyn Caines was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 1-for-3.
ALA - West Foothills was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .471. They are 10-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
ALA - West Foothills' win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-7. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Highland Prep, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Highland Prep has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like ALA - West Foothills struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Highland Prep might still be hurting after the 14-1 loss they got from ALA - West Foothills in their previous meeting back in March. Will the Honey Badgers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
