The Coolidge Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Valley Christian Trojans at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Saturday just wasn't the day for Coolidge's offense. They fell just short of Tanque Verde by a score of 2-0 on Saturday. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Bears' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Autumn Hoover spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on nine hits. Those hits marked the first that she allowed this season.
On the hitting side, Coolidge saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Natasha Juan, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Meanwhile, Valley Christian came tearing into Friday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Lobos 11-1. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won ten matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Valley Christian got a massive performance out of Abrielle Jarles, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophie Kercsmar, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one double.
Valley Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Snowflake only posted a batting average of .211.
Valley Christian pushed their record up to 17-2-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Coolidge, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-5.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Coolidge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .335. However, it's not like Valley Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .433. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Coolidge might still be hurting after the 13-0 loss they got from Valley Christian in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
