For the second straight game, Century will face off against Pocatello. The Diamondbacks will host the Thunder at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Century has struggled recently with six defeats in a row, while Pocatello will arrive with nine straight victories.
Century fell victim to Pocatello and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 15-0 to the Thunder, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
For Pocatello's part, Charlie Naylor and Sophie Campbell made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Naylor tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Campbell tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. At the plate, Naylor went 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI, while Campbell earned one RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jakobi Nebeker, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three doubles, and three RBI. Those three doubles gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Oakley Hirschi, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Pocatello was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .522. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .303 or higher in nine consecutive games.
Pocatello's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Century, their loss dropped their record down to 8-14.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Century has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pocatello 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 softball content.
