The Cheney Blackhawks are taking a road trip to square off against the Moses Lake Mavericks at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Cheney lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Central Valley, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Friday's matchup. The Blackhawks came out on top against the Bears on Friday by a score of 13-1 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blackhawks considering their one-run performance the game before.
Maddy Hurley made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Hurley was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Cheney let Mia Ashcroft and Millie Beito run wild. Ashcroft went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI, while Beito went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two stolen bases gave Ashcroft a new career-high. Makiah Ryan also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Cheney kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Moses Lake let Wenatchee stack six runs on them in the first inning on Thursday but luckily Moses Lake prevailed anyway. The Mavericks had just enough and edged out the Panthers 9-8. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Mavericks.
The team relied heavily on Hayden Morris, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. She has been hot, having posted three or more hits the last five times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Lila Johnson, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base.
Moses Lake's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 14 runs. As for Cheney, their record now sits at 4-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cheney has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Moses Lake struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 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 match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
