For the second straight game, Bear River will face off against Desert Hills. The Bears will face off against the Thunder at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Bear River 3.4, Desert Hills 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Bear River heads in on the heels of a playoff matchup on Friday. They fell just short of Desert Hills by a score of 3-1. The Bears were red-hot at the plate heading into the game (they scored no less than ten runs in the seven contests prior), but the Thunder's pitcher proved too tough.
For Desert Hills' part, Lulu West spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up 14 Ks. West has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Riley Greene was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Bailey Lee, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Desert Hills hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive matchups.
Desert Hills has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 24 of their last 25 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 31-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. As for Bear River, with the loss, they broke their seven-game winning streak and moved their record to 26-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bear River has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Desert Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.