The Twentynine Palms Wildcats will face off against the Yucca Valley Trojans at 3:15 p.m. on Monday. Twentynine Palms has given up an average of 7.6 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Twentynine Palms came up short against Indio on Thursday, falling 12-2. The Wildcats haven't had much luck with the Rajahs recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.
Twentynine Palms saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Briana Johnson, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Yucca Valley hadn't done well against Coachella Valley recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Trojans were the clear victors by a 15-5 margin over the Mighty Arabs. Considering the Trojans have won eight contests by more than seven runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
The team relied heavily on Hannah Cusack, who fired off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-4. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Tayla Monroy, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Yucca Valley lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
The victory made it two in a row for Yucca Valley and bumps their season record up to 9-7-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.0 runs over those games. As for Twentynine Palms, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-5.
Yucca Valley's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Twentynine Palms has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Yucca Valley, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Twentynine Palms keep running through batters, or will the Trojans buck the trend?
Twentynine Palms couldn't quite get it done against Yucca Valley in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 as they fell 5-2. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
