Hanford and Kamiakin are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Falcons will challenge the Braves at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Hanford's pitching crew has only allowed 2.7 runs per game this season, so Kamiakin's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Hanford is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Washington's top teams: Richland, who was ranked second at the time (Hanford was ranked eighth). The Falcons came up short against the Bombers on Tuesday, falling 8-1. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Falcons couldn't push the score so high this time.
Haylee Velasco
| 04/15/25 vs Richland | 1 |
| 04/11/25 vs Walla Walla | 1 |
| 04/11/25 vs Walla Walla | 2 |
Hanford saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Haylee Velasco, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base. Velasco is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played.
Meanwhile, while Kamiakin put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Walla Walla. The Braves blew past the Blue Devils 13-0. The Braves might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by six runs or more this season.
Lizzie O'Leary made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. O'Leary was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Jordynn Marquez and Lila Hagensen did most of the damage at the plate: Marquez went 1-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Hagensen scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Those two hits gave Hagensen a new career-high. Layla Dauenhauer also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Kamiakin was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .464. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Walla Walla only posted a batting average of .071.
The victory made it two in a row for Kamiakin and bumps their season record up to 8-4. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 6 runs in those games. As for Hanford, their loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hanford has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Kamiakin struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hanford came out on top in a nail-biter against Kamiakin when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 1-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
