The Oakmont Vikings will venture away from home to square off against the Bear River Bruins at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Oakmont is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Oakmont barely beat Eureka the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Vikings blew past the Loggers 8-1 on Wednesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Vikings.
CJ Smith
| 02/25/25 vs West Park | 1 |
| 03/20/25 vs Bear River | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Del Campo | 2 |
| 03/27/25 @ Wheatland | 3 |
| 02/18/25 vs Whitney | 6 |
Eureka's batters probably weren't too happy with CJ Smith, who pitched a no hitter and racked up eight Ks (he gave up four walks). Those eight strikeouts set a new season-high mark for Smith.
On the hitting side, Oakmont's victory was truly a team effort as 11 different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Peyton Oliver, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. Those two hits gave Oliver a new career-high. Another was Zayne Ball, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Oakmont hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Bear River didn't have quite enough to beat Marysville on Wednesday and fell 2-1.
Cooper Berry spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent : he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Ben Barley was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Oakmont pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Bear River, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-3 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oakmont has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bear River struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oakmont was able to grind out a solid win over Bear River in their previous meeting two weeks ago, winning 3-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
