Thunder
| 04/30/26 vs Shelley | 2 |
| 04/29/26 vs Century | 15 |
| 04/28/26 @ Century | 15 |
| 04/28/26 @ Century | 15 |
| 04/18/26 vs Bonneville | 9 |
| + 17 more games |
Pocatello has gone 9-1 against Bonneville recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Thunder will square off against the Bees at 4:00 p.m. Pocatello is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.8 runs per game this season.
Pocatello is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Idaho's top teams: Shelley, who was ranked 23rd at the time (Pocatello was ranked 14th). The Thunder fell just short of the Russets by a score of 3-2 on Thursday. The Thunder's defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Charlie Naylor spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Oakley Hirschi made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one stolen base and one double.
Meanwhile, Bonneville came tearing into Wednesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Tigers as they made off with a 13-1 win. Considering the Bees have won nine games by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Gracie Longhurst made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Longhurst was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Alyvia Rudd was incredible, firing off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-4. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Evelyn Ryan, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Bonneville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .379. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Idaho Falls only posted a batting average of .158.
Bonneville's record now sits at 16-6. As for Pocatello, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 16-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Pocatello has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bonneville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Pocatello skirted past Bonneville 9-8 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Thunder since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
