Shasta hasn't had much luck against Pleasant Valley recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Wolves will be playing in front of their home fans against the Vikings at 5:00 p.m. Shasta has given up an average of 11.5 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Shasta lost 23-4 to Chico on Tuesday.
Shasta saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dillon Sweig, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Valley had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. They put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 11-2 victory. Considering the Vikings have won nine matchups by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Rylie Bumgarner made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Isabella Cummings and Sofia Bowersox did most of the damage at the plate: Cummings went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one double, while Bowersox went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Lily Thurman, who went 1-for-5 with three runs.
Pleasant Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive contests.
Pleasant Valley's win bumped their record up to 14-8. As for Shasta, their loss dropped their record down to 4-11.
Shasta came up short against Pleasant Valley in their previous meeting on April 14th, falling 7-2. Will the Wolves have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.