The Ganado Hornets will venture away from home to square off against the Monument Valley Mustangs at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Ganado has given up an average of 9.8 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Ganado came up short against Window Rock on Friday, falling 13-7. The Hornets have struggled against the Fighting Scouts recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Shayli Abeita-Walker was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-5 with one triple, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Anisa Esparza, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Monument Valley, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Thursday. They walked away with a 12-8 victory over Chinle on Monday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Mustangs needed considering they were shut out in their previous match.
Monument Valley got a massive performance out of Hailey Etsitty, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI. That's the most hits Etsitty has posted over her last 11 contests. The team also got some help courtesy of Lenaya Chief, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Monument Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Ganado's loss dropped their record down to 7-12. As for Monument Valley, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Ganado hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Monument Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Ganado suffered a grim 19-5 defeat to Monument Valley when the teams last played back in March. Can the Hornets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
