Onaga and Pleasant Ridge are an even 3-3 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Buffaloes will take on the Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Onaga has three straight victories, Pleasant Ridge has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Monday, Onaga made easy work of Valley Heights and carried off a 17-2 win. The result was nothing new for the Buffaloes, who have now won seven contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Willow Hochstedler
| 04/14/25 vs Valley Heights | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Valley Heights | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Blue Valley | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Blue Valley | 1 |
| 03/31/25 @ Doniphan West | 1 |
Willow Hochstedler made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Hochstedler was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (two).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Addison DeChant, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three stolen bases, and five RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Makenzie Dorsey, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Onaga was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .538. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Ridge lost 16-4 to Jackson Heights on Monday.
Aubrey Gillaspie and Sydnee Kirkwood did some serious damage despite the final result: Gillaspie scored a run while going 3-for-3, while Kirkwood scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Onaga pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Pleasant Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 3-5.
Pleasant Ridge's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Onaga has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Pleasant Ridge, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Onaga keep running through batters, or will the Rams buck the trend?
Everything went Onaga's way against Pleasant Ridge in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, as Onaga made off with a 20-5 victory. Do the Buffaloes have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rams turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
