The Chaparral Wolverines are taking a road trip to square off against the Ralston Valley Mustangs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Chaparral is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Chaparral will bounce into Saturday's game after beating ThunderRidge, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Wolverines were the clear victors by an 11-2 margin over the Grizzlies on Thursday.
Grace Carpenter spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on three hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, Chaparral let Evie Smith and Scarlett Hum run wild. Smith went 2-for-5 with four RBI and one triple, while Hum got on base in all five of her plate appearances with two runs and one double. That's the most RBI Smith has posted since back in August of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooklyn Karjala, who got on base in two of her five plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
Chaparral hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as ThunderRidge struck out nine times.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Thursday Ralston Valley sidestepped Rocky Mountain for a 3-1 win. The victory continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Lobos: they've now won three in a row.
Ralston Valley also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Nina Renk gave up a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up nine Ks. Renk has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Stella Emnott was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI. Ella Felix was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs.
Chaparral's record now sits at 12-10. As for Ralston Valley, their record is now 7-15.
Chaparral skirted past Ralston Valley 8-7 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wolverines since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
