The Spring Valley Grizzlies will take on the Rancho Rams at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Spring Valley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Mojave a 19-0 shutout. Considering the Grizzlies have won 13 matches by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Sophie Bowmer looked comfortable as she tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Raelynn Villanueva
| 05/09/25 vs Mojave | 5 |
| 04/23/25 @ Eldorado | 4 |
| 03/27/25 @ Durango | 4 |
| 05/08/25 @ Southeast Career Tech | 2 |
| 03/15/25 vs Ogden | 2 |
At the plate, Raelynn Villanueva was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Aubree Holcombe was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Spring Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They are 17-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Rancho earned a 16-11 win over Cimarron-Memorial on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Rams in their matchups with the Spartans: they've now won six in a row.
Brooklynn Braun made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Braun was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of her five plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Annalise Stout, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Alainna Weber, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Spring Valley's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-11. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.8 runs over those games. As for Rancho, their win bumped their record up to 12-8.
Rancho's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Spring Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .433. It's a different story for Rancho, though, as they've only averaged .252. Will they be able to contain Spring Valley's hitters?
Everything went Spring Valley's way against Rancho in their previous matchup back in April, as Spring Valley made off with a 17-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Grizzlies since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
