The Orland Trojans will challenge the Central Valley Falcons at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Orland took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Kelseyville 7-6. While the Trojans didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Ashlynn Baylor
| 03/26/25 vs Kelseyville | 11 |
| 03/07/25 @ Hamilton | 4 |
| 03/29/24 vs Wheatland | 2 |
| 03/08/24 vs Shasta | 2 |
Ashlynn Baylor spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and five unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up 11 Ks. Those 11 strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Megan Noraas was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Gracie Cutshall, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI.
While Central Valley didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-12), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top against Enterprise by a score of 12-9 on Wednesday.
Joleen Short was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. Short was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hazel Chavez, who scored two runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-4. Ava Lanzit was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
Central Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in seven consecutive matches.
Orland's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Central Valley, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
Everything went Orland's way against Central Valley in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, as Orland made off with a 21-0 victory. Will Orland repeat their success, or does Central Valley has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
