Softball Preview: Bear River Bears vs. Desert Hills Thunder
Bear River has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Desert Hills Thunder at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Bear River is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Bear River is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They put the hurt on Tooele with a sharp 7-1 win. Bear River might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won seven contests by six runs or more this season.
Katelyn Wilson tossed a big game, striking out 12 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Aubree Fry, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Alex Udy was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Desert Hills earned a 4-1 victory over Mountain Crest on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for Desert Hills.
Lulu West made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. West was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with a home run and a double.
In other batting news, Hallee Heath was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Riley Greene, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-4.
Bear River is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-8 record this season. As for Desert Hills, their record is now 22-3.
Wednesday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Bear River hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .318. However, it's not like Desert Hills 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.
Bear River came out on top in a nail-biter against Desert Hills when the teams last played back in March, sneaking past 4-3. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was West, who struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Bear River still be able to contain West? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
