The Vanden Vikings will square off against the Ponderosa Bruins at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Vanden is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 15 games.
Vanden is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over West Park.
Isabella Cueva spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Niayli Calvo was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Ayrelyn Chavez, who went 2-for-4 with two runs.
Meanwhile, Ponderosa and Merced faced off in a Battle of the Bears on Friday. The Bruins were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Bears. The Bruins might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matches by six runs or more this season.
Ponderosa also got a great performance from Haley Warney as she pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Molly McFarland, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Ellie Escobar, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Ponderosa always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .519. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Merced only posted an OBP of .286.
Ponderosa has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 15 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Vanden, their victory was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-4.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Vanden hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .399. However, it's not like Ponderosa struggles in that department as they've averaged .393. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
