The Onaga Buffaloes will head out on the road to take on the Valley Falls Dragons at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Valley Falls is hoping to do on Thursday what Centralia couldn't last Tuesday: put an end to Onaga's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Onaga was the clear victor by a 15-9 margin over Centralia.
Willow Hochstedler made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Hochstedler was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Annie Force, who scored three runs while going 2-for-5. MaKenzie Dorsey was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Valley Falls scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Monday. Everything went their way against Pleasant Ridge as Valley Falls made off with a 25-9 victory. Winning may never get old, but Valley Falls sure is getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
Like Onaga, Valley Falls also got a great game from a two-way player: Lauren Brown. On the mound, she tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Brown was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-3 with four runs, two stolen bases, and four RBI.
In other batting news, Renay Myers was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with a home run, six RBI, and four runs. Another player making a difference was Korie Kirkwood, who scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Onaga's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-4. As for Valley Falls, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both team's pitchers. Onaga hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .364. However, it's not like Valley Falls struggles in that department as they've averaged .360. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Onaga's way against Valley Falls when the teams last played back in May of 2023 as Onaga made off with a 13-5 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Onaga since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
