Valley Christian has won 11 straight games at home, while Crismon has won 11 straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Trojans will host the Rattlers at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Valley Christian's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Apache Junction with a sharp 25-0 victory.
Taya Clausen made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Libby Juist was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, two stolen bases, and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Abrielle Jarles was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs.
Valley Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Crismon made easy work of ALA - Queen Creek on Wednesday and carried off a 10-0 win.
Crismon also got a great performance from Emma Phelps as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Alee Grace Trunell, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Dakota Bustos, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Crismon has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.8 runs over those games. As for Valley Christian, their win bumped their record up to 22-3-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Valley Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Crismon struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
