The Mountainside Mavericks will square off against Nelson at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Mountainside's pitching crew has only allowed 1.8 runs per game this season, so Nelson's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Mountainside is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Oregon's top teams: Sherwood, who was ranked 23rd at the time (Mountainside was ranked 21st). The Mavericks fell just short of the Bowmen by a score of 5-3 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Mavericks have suffered since May 26, 2025.
Mountainside saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Natalie Kawaguchi, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That double was Kawaguchi's first of the season.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Nelson made sure to put some runs up on the board against Southridge on Friday. Nelson had just enough and edged out Southridge 10-9.
Nelson got a massive performance out of Chloe Osborn, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Addison Osterholm, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Mountainside's defeat dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Nelson, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Mountainside hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. However, it's not like Nelson struggles in that department as they've averaged .398. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Mountainside's way against Nelson when the teams last played back in March of 2023, as Mountainside made off with a 16-9 win. Do the Mavericks have another victory up their sleeve, or will Nelson turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
