The River Valley Dust Devils will head out to take on the ALA - West Foothills Guardians at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. River Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.8 runs per game this season.
River Valley fell victim to Kingman and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They fell just short of the Bulldogs by a score of 2-0. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Dust Devils' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Chino Valley typically has all the answers at home, but on Wednesday ALA - West Foothills proved too difficult a challenge. They blew past the Cougars 13-3. The Guardians might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matchups by ten runs or more this season.
Jackson Slade was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, ALA - West Foothills got a massive performance out of Josh Hedgecock, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Joey Paradiso, who earned three runs and five stolen bases.
ALA - West Foothills was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They are 11-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
ALA - West Foothills pushed their record up to 15-8 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for River Valley, their defeat ended a nine-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 18-5.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. River Valley has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .470. However, it's not like ALA - West Foothills struggles in that department as they've averaged .491. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
River Valley was able to grind out a solid win over ALA - West Foothills when the teams last played back in May of 2025, winning 5-2. Do the Dust Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Guardians turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
