Black Hills hasn't had much luck against Tumwater recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Wolves will face off against the Thunderbirds at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Black Hills came out on top against Shelton on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run first inning. The Wolves' pitcher stepped up to hand the Highclimbers a 10-0 shutout. The Wolves haven't had any issues with the Highclimbers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Ella Goheen made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Goheen was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kailey Miller was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and one double. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024. Madi Malone was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Black Hills always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .606. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Monday as neither Tumwater nor WF West made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Thunderbirds skirted past the Bearcats 2-0. The game was the first time the Thunderbirds have beaten the Bearcats on their field since May 28, 2022.
Tumwater saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Megan Barrett, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Erika Schock also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Tumwater has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Black Hills, the win got them back to even at 9-9.
Black Hills suffered a grim 15-3 defeat to Tumwater in their previous meeting last Friday. Can the Wolves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
