For the second straight game, North Canyon will face off against Buckeye. The Rattlers will head out on the road to challenge the Hawks at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. North Canyon has given up an average of 15.6 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
North Canyon had been on a three-game streak of scoring at least ten runs, but Buckeye put an end to it on Tuesday. The Rattlers came up short against the Hawks, falling 18-2.
For Buckeye's part, Caleila Kaluna was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Kaluna was even better at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 4-for-4. Those four stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Buckeye got a massive performance out of Madison Blackwell, who went 1-for-2 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most RBI Blackwell has posted since back in April of 2024. Jazlene Barrios was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Buckeye always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .771. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Canyon only posted an OBP of .250.
Buckeye is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 12.7 runs. As for North Canyon, their loss was their seventh straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-12.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. North Canyon hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Buckeye struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
