The Desert Oasis Diamondbacks will square off against the Foothill Falcons at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Desert Oasis is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Sierra Vista a 12-0 shutout.
Ali Perkins was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Perkins was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Veyda Simon was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Arabella Carlin also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Desert Oasis hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are 5-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Foothill, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They blew past Clark 16-6 on Friday.
Like Desert Oasis, Foothill also got a great game from a two-way player: Isabella Higuera. On the mound, Higuera tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Camren VanThomme pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off three hits. Higuera has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Higuera went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run, while VanThomme went 3-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI VanThomme has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kendall Miller, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hailey Gilbertson, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base.
Desert Oasis pushed their record up to 12-9-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Foothill, the victory got them back to even at 11-11-1.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Desert Oasis hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .364. However, it's not like Foothill struggles in that department as they've averaged .355. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Desert Oasis came out on top in a nail-biter against Foothill when the teams last played back in April, sneaking past 10-8. Do the Diamondbacks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Falcons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
