Napa hasn't had much luck against Casa Grande recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Grizzlies will face off against the Gauchos at 4:00 p.m. Napa has given up an average of 11.3 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Napa is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Wednesday. They came up short against Sonoma Valley, falling 16-6.
Napa saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brooklyn Miller, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That home run was Miller's first of the season. Lauren Nicklas was another, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Casa Grande waltzed into their game on Friday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They walked away with a 9-4 victory over the Crushers.
Lila Partridge spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four runs (all of which were unearned) on six hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 15 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Veronica Nunez-Miller was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Lauren Ketchu, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Casa Grande was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .417 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Casa Grande pushed their record up to 17-5-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Napa, their loss dropped their record down to 4-18.
Napa suffered a grim 18-2 defeat to Casa Grande when the teams last played back in April. Can the Grizzlies avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
