The Central Valley Bears will head out on the road to square off against the Shadle Park Highlanders at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Central Valley has given up an average of 13.5 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Central Valley is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 22 runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Ridgeline on Friday. They lost 18-2 to the Falcons. The Bears haven't had much luck with the Falcons recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Meanwhile, Shadle Park can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 20-4 margin over Gonzaga Prep. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Highlanders considering their two-run performance the match before.
McKenzie Duncan made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run.
In other batting news, Annabelle Moreno and Madi Keon did most of the damage at the plate: Moreno went 3-for-5 with one home run, three stolen bases, and four runs, while Keon went 4-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those three stolen bases gave Moreno a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Bethany Rinas, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Shadle Park always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .561. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Gonzaga Prep only posted an OBP of .280.
Shadle Park's record is now 6-10. As for Central Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-10.
Everything went Central Valley's way against Shadle Park in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Central Valley made off with a 20-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
