Bakersfield is 2-8 against Independence since February of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Drillers will host the Falcons at 4:00 p.m. Independence took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Bakersfield, who comes in off a win.
Bakersfield's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Ridgeview as they made off with a 14-0 win. That looming 14-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Drillers yet this season.
Aniyah Gordon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-3.

Jaden Ortiz
05/02/25 vs Ridgeview | 3 |
03/22/25 vs Rosamond | 2 |
04/30/25 @ Ridgeview | 1 |
03/11/25 vs Tehachapi | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaden Ortiz, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ryann Arnold, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Bakersfield kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ridgeview only managed two hits.
Meanwhile, Independence fell victim to Bakersfield Christian and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 10-0 to the Eagles, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The Falcons haven't had much luck with the Eagles recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Independence now has a losing record of 9-10. As for Bakersfield, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-13.
Bakersfield was able to grind out a solid win over Independence in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 7-3. Do the Drillers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Falcons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.