The McCall-Donnelly Vandals will challenge the Grangeville Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The timing isn't great for McCall-Donnelly: they have been struggling with six straight losses at home, while Grangeville has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road.
McCall-Donnelly had taken Payette down for three straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Wednesday. The Vandals fell just short of the Pirates by a score of 17-16. Even if the Vandals couldn't come away with the win, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.
Harper Ferguson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-5 with five RBI, three doubles, and two runs. Those doubles were her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Ariana Schreiner, who went 1-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Grangeville came out on top against Kellogg on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run third inning. The Bulldogs blew past the Wildcats 12-2. Considering the Bulldogs have won nine games by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Adalei Lefebvre made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maddison Harris, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Siena Wagner was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles.
Grangeville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .462. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .312 or higher in six consecutive matches.
Grangeville is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.5 runs over those games. As for McCall-Donnelly, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-17.
McCall-Donnelly suffered a grim 11-4 defeat to Grangeville in their previous meeting back in April of 2022. Can the Vandals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
