The Churchill County Greenwave will venture away from home to take on the North Valleys Panthers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Churchill County's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three contests.
Churchill County is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on South Tahoe with a sharp 19-0 win on Saturday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Peyton Prinz was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Prinz was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maddison Keller, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, seven RBI, and three runs. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. Layla Walker was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one double.
Churchill County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .821. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, North Valleys made sure to put some runs up on the board against Spring Creek on Friday. North Valleys had just enough and edged out Spring Creek 11-9. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since April 6, 2024.
Maddie Rebell spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and seven unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up 15 Ks. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts.
At the plate, Karli Klein and Caylee Soap did most of the damage at the plate: Klein scored three runs while going 2-for-4, while Soap scored two runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. That's the most runs Klein has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Shia Sarchett, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
With the victory, North Valleys broke their five-game losing streak and moved their record to 1-3. As for Churchill County, their record now sits at 5-1.
North Valleys' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Churchill County has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11 hits per game. It's a different story for North Valleys, though, as they've been averaging 11 hits. Given Churchill County's sizable advantage in that area, North Valleys will need to find a way to close that gap.
Churchill County beat North Valleys 5-1 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will Churchill County repeat their success, or does North Valleys have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
