Bear Lake has won three straight games at home, while Preston has won three straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Bears will host the Indians at 3:30 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
On Wednesday, Bear Lake needed a bit of extra time to put away American Falls. They had just enough and edged out the Beavers 6-5. The Bears haven't had any issues with the Beavers recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Brooklynn Crockett spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on eight hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Peyten Crockett was excellent, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Brooklynn Pope was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Preston sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 12-10 win over American Falls on Thursday.
The team relied heavily on Averie Madsen, who went 4-for-5 with three runs, three doubles, and two RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Samantha Owens, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Preston was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .486. They are a perfect 10-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Preston now has a winning record of 11-10. As for Bear Lake, their victory bumped their record up to 9-10.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bear Lake hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Preston struggles in that department as they've averaged .369. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bear Lake was able to grind out a solid win over Preston when the teams last played on April 9th, winning 11-6. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Indians turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.