The Payette Pirates will head out to square off against the Cole Valley Christian Chargers at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
As a matter of fact, Payette put up the most runs they have all season on Saturday. They fell 18-14 to Melba. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Wednesday (11), the Pirates still had to take the loss.
Lucia Walker led a balanced group of hitters, going 2-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. Victoria Walker also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Cole Valley Christian came tearing into Thursday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.4 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Vandals 21-1. The Chargers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by six runs or more this season.
Lauren Colson was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Colson was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Abbie English was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Lola Crosby, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
Cole Valley Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in four consecutive games.
Payette has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost six of their last seven contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-9 record this season. Those defeats can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.1 runs over those games. As for Cole Valley Christian, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-3.
Payette suffered a grim 19-1 defeat to Cole Valley Christian when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Pirates avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
