Lathrop is 2-8 against West Valley since May of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Malemutes will look to defend their home field against the Wolf Pack at 7:15 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Lathrop sitting on three straight wins and West Valley on six.
Lathrop is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: North Pole, who was ranked 21st at the time (Lathrop was ranked 16th). The Malemutes never let the Patriots get on the board and left with a 14-0 victory on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, West Valley got the win against North Pole on Wednesday by a conclusive 10-0. The result was nothing new for the Wolf Pack, who have now won four games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Jacquilyn Haberstumpf was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Aaliah Hildebrand was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Makayla Anderson was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one home run and one stolen base.
West Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3.5 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 13.4.
West Valley's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. As for Lathrop, their win bumped their record up to 6-9.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
