The Green Valley Gators will face off against the Centennial Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Green Valley is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Palo Verde, who was ranked first at the time (Green Valley was ranked 15th). Green Valley lost 9-0 to Palo Verde on Tuesday. The match marked the first time this season in which the Gators were not able to get on the board.
Lyla Baxter
| 03/25/25 vs Palo Verde | 1 |
| 03/22/25 vs Sultana | 1 |
| 03/22/25 vs Sultana | 1 |
Green Valley saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lyla Baxter, who went 1-for-3 with one triple. Baxter is on a roll when it comes to triples, as she's now hit at least one in each of the last three games she's played.
Meanwhile, Centennial entered their tilt with Arbor View on Tuesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Aggies, sneaking past 7-5.
Lily Fournier spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and four unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up nine Ks. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Madden Turner, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple. That triple marked the first that she hit this season. Hailey Smith was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Centennial hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in four consecutive contests.
Centennial's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Green Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-6.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Green Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .406. However, it's not like Centennial struggles in that department as they've averaged .330. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Green Valley suffered a grim 14-4 defeat to Centennial when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Will Green Valley have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
