For the second straight game, Dayton will face off against Fernley. The Dust Devils will look to defend their home field on Saturday against the Vaqueros at 11:00 a.m. Dayton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Dayton is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 13 runs on Wednesday, they were much more limited against Fernley on Friday. They came up short against the Vaqueros, falling 14-1. Surprisingly, this marked the fourth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor in this series.
For Fernley's part, Janessa Robinson spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on seven hits.
At the plate, Fernley got a massive performance out of Grace Chapin, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. That's the most hits Chapin has posted since back in March. Taylor Tollestrup was another key player, going 2-for-5 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one triple.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Fernley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dayton only managed ten.
The victory was the fourth in a row for Fernley, bringing their record up to 16-5. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. As for Dayton, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 11-8 record this season.
Fernley's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. Dayton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Fernley, though, as they've been averaging only 3.8 strikeouts. Will Dayton keep running through batters, or will the Vaqueros buck the trend? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
