The Beatty Hornets will face off against the Pahranagat Valley Panthers at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Beatty has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with six straight losses, while Pahranagat Valley will come in with four straight victories.
Beatty came up short against GV Christian last Wednesday, falling 19-1. That's two games in a row now that the Hornets have lost by exactly 18 runs.
Beatty saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Melody Vargas, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-1. Genesis Molina also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Pahranagat Valley duked it out with Awaken Christian on Wednesday. The Panthers put the hurt on the Lions with a sharp 17-2 win. Considering the Panthers have won nine games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Pahranagat Valley let Shelby Fry and Shada Spencer run wild. Fry scored three runs while going 2-for-2, while Spencer went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those two hits gave Fry a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cami Cannon, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
Pahranagat Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .625. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .381 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Pahranagat Valley's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-7. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Beatty, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.
Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Beatty has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .565. However, it's not like Pahranagat Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .545. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
