The Bella Vista Broncos will venture away from home to face off against the Rio Americano Raiders at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
The home team had won the previous two meetings between Bella Vista and Ponderosa, and Bella Vista kept the tradition alive. Bella Vista skirted past Ponderosa 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Broncos have posted since April 25, 2024.
Devin James tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over six innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Bella Vista saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Drew Longaker, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI. Gage Titus also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Rio Americano was not the first on the board last Saturday, but they got there more often. They walked away with an 8-5 victory over Woodcreek. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Raiders as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Pierce Tully made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Tully was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in hits.
In other batting news, Derek Gale was excellent, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
Bella Vista is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 3-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. Rio Americano's record now sits at 5-6.
Bella Vista beat Rio Americano 8-3 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will Bella Vista repeat their success, or does Rio Americano have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
