vs
| 03/13/19 - Home | 7-5 W |
| 04/30/18 - Away | 10-0 W |
| 04/20/18 - Home | 4-6 L |
| 04/25/17 - Home | 7-3 W |
| 03/23/17 - Away | 6-3 W |
| + 4 more games |
Bella Vista is 7-2 against Oakmont since March of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Bella Vista Broncos will venture away from home to challenge the Oakmont Vikings at 3:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Bella Vista took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Union Mine as Bella Vista made off with a 12-2 victory.
Alexa Harnish made a splash no matter where she played. She tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Harnish was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs. Those runs marked the first that she scored this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lilly Cornejo, who scored two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. She also put up a hit, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Shea Leopold, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Bella Vista always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, Oakmont got the win against El Camino on Thursday by a conclusive 15-1. That looming 15-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Vikings yet this season.
Like Bella Vista, Oakmont also got a great game from a two-way player: McKenna Dutto. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Dutto was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Oakmont got a massive performance out of Sydney Creel, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave Creel a new career-high. Maria Gonzales was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
The win made it two in a row for Oakmont and bumps their season record up to 3-1. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.0 runs over those games. As for Bella Vista, their record now sits at 4-2.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Bella Vista has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .456. However, it's not like Oakmont struggles in that department as they've averaged .471. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bella Vista came out on top in a nail-biter against Oakmont in their previous meeting back in March of 2019, sneaking past 7-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bella Vista since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
