The Riverdale Warriors will head out to square off against the Oakland Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Riverdale is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Cascade just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Champions.
Lashaundra Fleming made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Montanna Arel also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, Oakland came tearing into Wednesday's matchup with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.4 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Rockvale a 10-0 shutout. The Patriots' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last six contests.
Taylor Minnick made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in nine consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Jada Ellison was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-5. She has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times she's played. Another player making a difference was Chloe Aaron, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
Oakland was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .424. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rockvale only posted a batting average of .091.
Oakland's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-2-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Riverdale, their loss dropped their record down to 6-10.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Riverdale hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .404. However, it's not like Oakland struggles in that department as they've averaged .344. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Riverdale suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to Oakland in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Warriors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
