The Buckeye Hawks will square off against the Paradise Valley Trojans at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Buckeye has five straight victories, Paradise Valley has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Buckeye's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Desert Edge 19-0. The Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matches by eight runs or more this season.
Buckeye got a massive performance out of Kaleikaumaka Ellis, who scored four runs and stole five bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. What's more, Ellis posted two RBI, the most she's had since March 3rd. Sofia Villa was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
Buckeye always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .651. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Desert Edge only posted an OBP of .250.
Meanwhile, Paradise Valley scored the most runs they've had this season on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough. They came up short against Youngker, falling 20-10. Even if the Trojans couldn't come away with the win, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.
Abby Printer stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: she scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. She also brought in three RBI, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Chance Alvic, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Buckeye's victory bumped their record up to 8-3. As for Paradise Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 0-7.
Paradise Valley's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Buckeye hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .432. It's a different story for Paradise Valley, though, as they've only averaged .161. Will they be able to contain Buckeye's hitters?
Everything went Buckeye's way against Paradise Valley in their previous meeting on March 3rd, as Buckeye made off with a 24-0 win. Will Buckeye repeat their success, or does Paradise Valley has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
