The Owyhee Storm will square off against the Coeur d'Alene Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Owyhee's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Coeur d'Alene's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Owyhee is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Idaho's top teams: Mountain View, who was ranked fourth at the time (Owyhee was ranked first). The Storm lost 9-1 to the Mavericks on Thursday. The Storm's loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Owyhee got a good showing from AJ Jaramillo, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Owyhee saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gage Haws, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Coeur d'Alene and Middleton squared off in some playoff action on Thursday, but Coeur d'Alene had to settle for second. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (6-5), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time.
Gavin Helms was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple and one run. That triple was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Blake Foulk, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Coeur d'Alene's defeat dropped their record down to 18-6. As for Owyhee, their loss dropped their record down to 26-3.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Owyhee has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .431. However, it's not like Coeur d'Alene struggles in that department as they've averaged .456. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Owyhee came out on top in a nail-biter against Coeur d'Alene in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, sneaking past 3-2. Will the Storm repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
