The West Hills Wolf Pack will square off against the Canyon Hills Rattlers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (West Hills 3.8, Canyon Hills 2.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
West Hills will bounce into Saturday's game after beating Santana, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Wolf Pack walked away with an 8-5 win over the Sultans on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Wolf Pack in their matchups with the Sultans: they've now won three in a row.
Gianna Burgin made a splash while hitting and pitching. She tossed 6.2 innings while giving up five earned runs off seven hits. Burgin was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Reegan Veltre and Katy Spargo did most of the damage at the plate: Veltre went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Spargo went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double. Another player making a difference was Kristina Deal, who got on base in two of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Canyon Hills waltzed into their contest on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over the Centurions. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since May 4, 2017, but that streak is no more.
Like West Hills, Canyon Hills also got a great game from a two-way player: Natalye Debus. On the mound, she struck out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. Debus has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in 18 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
Debus wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Karalyne Tabada, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Canyon Hills' victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-7. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for West Hills, their victory bumped their record up to 15-8-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. West Hills has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Canyon Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
West Hills couldn't quite finish off Canyon Hills in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 and fell 5-3. Can the Wolf Pack avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
