Horizon hasn't had much luck against Desert Mountain recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Huskies will take on the Wolves at 3:45 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Horizon took a six-run loss the last time they faced off against Chaparral, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Huskies narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Firebirds 5-4.
Pierson Hozza
| 04/24/25 vs Chaparral | 9 |
| 04/22/25 @ Chaparral | 7 |
| 04/17/25 @ Mountain Pointe | 6 |
| 04/15/25 vs Mountain Pointe | 9 |
| 04/14/25 @ Basha | 6 |
| + 4 more games |
Pierson Hozza spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Horizon let Addison Willfong and Lexi Nolen run wild. Willfong went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Nolen got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that Willfong has snagged this season. Shay Valenti was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, Desert Mountain had already won 20 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it 21 on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Coyotes. The result was nothing new for the Wolves, who have now won 13 matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Lilly 'Goose' Goodwin made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. Goodwin was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Avery Gehrke and McKinsey Beyer did most of the damage at the plate: Gehrke went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base, while Beyer went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. That's the most runs Beyer has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Hagan Nugent, who earned two runs and one stolen base.
Desert Mountain kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive contests.
Desert Mountain's win was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 24-1-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Horizon, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-10 record this season.
Horizon couldn't quite finish off Desert Mountain in their previous meeting back in March and fell 2-0. Can the Huskies avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
