For the first time this season, West Field will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup on Friday. They will look to defend their home field against the Ridgeline Riverhawks at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
West Field saw some tournament action on Saturday. They came out on top against Crimson Cliffs by a score of 5-2. The game marked the Longhorns' most dominant victory of the season.
Tyce Abbott spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on six hits.
On the hitting side, Grady Garrett was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Those hits marked the first that he got this season. Conner Miles was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Ridgeline came tearing into Wednesday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.1 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Bears 9-1. The result was nothing new for the Riverhawks, who have now won five matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Ben Thompson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Thompson was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cooper Clark, who scored three runs and stole Five bases. while going 2-for-4. Those five stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyson Smith, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two RBI.
Ridgeline's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for West Field, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. West Field has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ridgeline struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
