The Valencia Vikings will square off against the Saugus Centurions at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. The last five games Valencia has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
On Tuesday, Valencia needed a bit of extra time to put away Hart. They had just enough and edged out the Hawks 4-3. The Vikings haven't had any issues with the Hawks recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Keira Rand spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on six hits.
On the hitting side, Sydney Bolder was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2025. Stella McDonald also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Saugus). Everything went their way against Canyon on Tuesday as they made off with a 13-2 win.
Kona Ramsbottom looked comfortable as she tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Saugus let Amelia Johnson and Riley Bennett-Murray run wild. Johnson fired off two home runs, four RBI, and one double while going 3-for-4, while Bennett-Murray went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Savanna Smith, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles.
Saugus kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.4 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 8.8.
Saugus' victory bumped their record up to 7-5. As for Valencia, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Valencia 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 Saugus struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
