Shadow Ridge has won five straight games at home, while Arbor View has won five straight on the road dating back to last season, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Mustangs will host the Aggies at 3:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Shadow Ridge is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Doral Academy Red Rock, who was ranked 15th at the time (Shadow Ridge was ranked fourth). The Mustangs put the hurt on the Dragons with a sharp 11-2 win on Wednesday.
Melia Aionaaka spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on eight hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Shadow Ridge got a massive performance out of Madison Blosser, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most hits Blosser has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Breanna Nielsen, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Shadow Ridge 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 seven consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Arbor View owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Bishop Gorman as they made off with an 8-0 victory.
Not much got past Audrey Melton, who gave up just four hits to keep Bishop Gorman off the board.
At the plate, Arbor View let Ava Henderson and Malaya Tellis run wild. Henderson went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI, while Tellis got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Madilyn Lowy was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Shadow Ridge's win bumped their record up to 13-3. As for Arbor View, their victory bumped their record up to 16-6.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Shadow Ridge has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.2 hits per game. However, it's not like Arbor View struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Shadow Ridge skirted past Arbor View 8-6 when the teams last played back in March. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Aggies have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
