Centennial is 8-1 against Rancho since May of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Centennial Bulldogs are on the road again to play the Rancho Rams at 3:30 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Centennial is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Liberty, who was ranked ninth in their home state at the time (Centennial was ranked fifth). Centennial came out on top against Liberty by a score of 5-1 on Tuesday.
Lily Fournier spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on seven hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ashley Madonia, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Campbell Cole was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Rancho waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with 13 straight wins... but they left with 14. They walked away with a 6-1 victory over the Trailblazers.
Brooklynn Braun made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out 15 over seven innings pitched. Braun was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
In other batting news, Tatum Weller was excellent, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Layla Stout, who went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Centennial pushed their record up to 21-9-1 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Rancho, their record now sits at 14-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Centennial hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Rancho struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Centennial took their victory against Rancho in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 15-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Centennial since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
