The Napavine Tigers will face off against the Raymond/South Bend Ravens at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Raymond/South Bend will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Napavine extended their winning streak to four on Thursday. The Tigers came out on top against Mossyrock by a score of 15-10.
Dakota Lyons made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and seven unearned) runs off 11 hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in four of her six plate appearances. She also hit a double, marking her first of the season.
In other batting news, Napavine got a massive performance out of Taylen Evander, who scored a run while going 4-for-6. Another player making a difference was Lyla Kirkpatrick, who scored three runs while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
Napavine kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Raymond/South Bend made easy work of Ilwaco on Tuesday and carried off a 20-6 win. Considering the Ravens have won five contests by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ava Pine was a standout: she went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three doubles, and four RBI. Macey Enlow was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.
Napavine's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-2-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Raymond/South Bend, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-1.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Napavine hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .376. However, it's not like Raymond/South Bend struggles in that department as they've averaged .411. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Napavine couldn't quite finish off Raymond/South Bend when the teams last played back in March of 2024 and fell 10-8. Will the Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
