North Valleys hasn't had much luck against Damonte Ranch recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Panthers will look to defend their home field against the Mustangs at 11:00 a.m. North Valleys has given up an average of 12.5 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
It was a proper cat-fight when North Valleys challenged Douglas on Thursday. The Panthers took a 12-9 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers.
Dolan Tucker made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and two doubles. Those doubles were his first of the season. Nakoa Floto was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one triple.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Damonte Ranch). Everything went their way against Galena on Thursday as they made off with a 19-6 win. With that victory, the Mustangs brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Matt Bonczyk Jr made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Damonte Ranch is undefeated when Bonczyk Jr posts two or more runs, but 3-6-1 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Spencer Dietz, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. He has become a key player for Damonte Ranch: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least three RBI, but 4-5-1 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Jake Wigfield, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
Damonte Ranch was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .538. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
The win got Damonte Ranch back to even at 6-6-1. As for North Valleys, their loss dropped their record down to 2-10.
North Valleys suffered a grim 13-1 defeat to Damonte Ranch when the teams last played back in March of 2020. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
