The Deer Valley Skyhawks will square off against the Prescott Badgers at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Deer Valley has four straight wins, Prescott has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Friday, Deer Valley made easy work of Agua Fria and carried off a 17-1 victory. The Skyhawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 15 matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Adyson Ordway was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one hit in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Leila Hermosillo was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Taylor Passalacqua was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Deer Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in 12 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Prescott might've scored the first runs on Friday, but it was Mohave who claimed the real prize. The Badgers fell just short of the Thunderbirds by a score of 5-4.
Like Deer Valley, Prescott also got a great game from a two-way player: Gracie Pereira. On the mound, she tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off five hits. Pereira was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Pereira wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Mariah Smolnikar, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
Deer Valley's win bumped their record up to 21-5-1. As for Prescott, their loss dropped their record down to 5-16.
Prescott's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Deer Valley has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Prescott, though, as they've been averaging 9.3 hits. Given Deer Valley's sizable advantage in that area, the Badgers will need to find a way to close that gap. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
