vs
| 04/18/24 - Home | 3-7 L |
| 04/16/24 - Away | 2-4 L |
| 03/19/24 - Home | 12-2 W |
| 03/09/24 - Home | 10-5 W |
| 04/21/23 - Away | 12-2 W |
| + 5 more games |
Independence has gone 8-2 against Bakersfield recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Falcons are taking a road trip to square off against the Drillers at 4:00 p.m. Independence is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Bakersfield Christian hit Independence with a five-run fourth inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Falcons might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 10-0 to the Eagles, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The Falcons have struggled against the Eagles recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meeting.
Meanwhile, while Bakersfield put up plenty of runs on Friday, the same can't be said for Ridgeview. The Drillers put the hurt on the Wolf Pack with a sharp 14-0 victory. That looming 14-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Drillers yet this season.
Aniyah Gordon made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Jaden Ortiz was incredible, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Serenity Hernandez-Alvidrez was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
Bakersfield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .586. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Bakersfield's win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-13. As for Independence, they now have a losing record of 9-10.
Bakersfield's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Independence has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .443. It's a different story for Bakersfield, though, as they've only averaged .352. Will they be able to contain Independence's hitters?
Independence couldn't quite get it done against Bakersfield when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 7-3. Can the Falcons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
