The Desert Oasis Diamondbacks will square off against the Mojave Rattlers at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Desert Oasis is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Chaparral a 19-0 shutout on Tuesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Diamondbacks considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Brianna Bartok made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Bartok was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Veyda Simon was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. Vida Torres was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Desert Oasis always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .727. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Mojave made sure to put some runs up on the board against Las Vegas on Tuesday. The Rattlers put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 13-0 win. Considering the Rattlers have won three contests by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Desert Oasis, Mojave also got a great game from a two-way player: Emiko-Lin Kalani. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Kalani has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jadin Broadnax, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one triple. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Kaylinn Bentley, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
Desert Oasis has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-3-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Mojave, their win ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-5.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Desert Oasis has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .498. However, it's not like Mojave struggles in that department as they've averaged .473. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
