The Williams Vikings will square off against the Needles Mustangs at 1:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Williams' pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They put the hurt on Red Rock with a sharp 22-0 victory. The win was nothing new for the Vikings as they're now sitting on five straight.
Danika Howe
| 03/28/25 vs Red Rock | 3 |
| 03/05/24 vs Mogollon | 2 |
| 02/27/24 @ Camp Verde | 2 |
| 03/26/25 @ Mayer | 1 |
| 04/23/24 @ Bagdad | 1 |
Danika Howe made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Furthermore, she didn't allow a single earned run, the first time she has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Williams got a massive performance out of Samantha Amaya, who fired off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 2-for-4. Those two home runs gave Amaya a new career-high. Faith Jensen was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Williams lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Needles had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They blew past the Lynx 10-3.
Like Williams, Needles also got a great game from a two-way player: Summer Scott. She didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. Scott has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Edey Ponce, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-6. Another player making a difference was Scotti Powell, who scored a run while getting on base in four of her six plate appearances.
Needles pushed their record up to 11-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.5 runs over those games. As for Williams, the victory got them back to even at 6-6.
Monday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Williams has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .460. However, it's not like Needles struggles in that department as they've averaged .455. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Williams suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to Needles when the teams last played back in April of 2022. Can Williams avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
