Softball Game Preview: Ridgeview Ravens vs. Bend Lava Bears

The Ridgeview Ravens will venture away from home to square off against the Bend Lava Bears at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Ridgeview barely beat Crook County the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Ravens' pitchers stepped up to hand the Cowboys an 11-0 shutout on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Ravens, who have now won 11 games by seven runs or more so far this season.

Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Bend ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past South Medford 14-13. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Lava Bears.

The team relied heavily on Cass Sandgren, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Jocelyn Lima was another key player, going 3-for-5 with four runs and one RBI.

Bend was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .390. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .359 or higher in three consecutive contests.

Ridgeview's record now sits at 19-7. As for Bend, their record is now 10-15.

Ridgeview came out on top in a nail-biter against Bend in their previous meeting on May 6th, sneaking past 7-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ravens since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.