Buchanan hasn't had much luck against Clovis North recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Bears will take on the Broncos at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Buchanan sitting on three straight victories and Clovis North on four.
Buchanan is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Central East, sneaking past 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Bears have posted since April 15th.
Brooklyn Ainsworth spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Thimir Bracamontes was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, it looked like the Kentucky Derby when Clovis North challenged Stockdale on Thursday. The Broncos were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over the Mustangs. The Broncos might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matches by six runs or more this season.
Clovis North also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Jocelynn Gonzalez gave up three earned runs on five hits.
At the plate, Clovis North got a massive performance out of Jaelyn Clark, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Brynn Gentry was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Clovis North always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .615. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Buchanan pushed their record up to 23-9 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Clovis North, their victory bumped their record up to 21-5-2.
Buchanan suffered a grim 9-3 defeat to Clovis North in their previous matchup on May 9th. Can the Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
