The Horseshoe Bend Mustangs will square off against the Notus Pirates at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Horseshoe Bend has three straight victories, Notus has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Tuesday, Horseshoe Bend made easy work of Wilder and carried off an 18-4 win. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won four matchups by 13 runs or more so far this season.
Kimber Jones made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one triple.
Kinzee Ranft
| 04/21/26 vs Wilder | 4 |
| 04/20/26 @ Garden Valley | 1 |
| 04/16/26 vs Idaho City | 3 |
| 04/15/26 @ Glenns Ferry | 4 |
| 04/08/26 vs Garden Valley | 2 |
| + 7 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kinzee Ranft, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last 12 games she's played dating back to last season. Trin Catherman was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and one double.
Horseshoe Bend was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .545. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Notus came up short against Greenleaf Friends Academy on Tuesday, falling 27-18. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Monday (11), the Pirates still had to take the loss.
Cierra Norris and Fatima Alvarez stepped up to the plate in a big way. Norris went 5-for-6 with four stolen bases, four runs, and two doubles, while Alvarez got on base in four of her six plate appearances with four runs, two triples, and two stolen bases. The team also got some help courtesy of Makiah McAmis, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Notus' defeat dropped their record down to 1-9. As for Horseshoe Bend, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
Wednesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Horseshoe Bend has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .621. However, it's not like Notus struggles in that department as they've averaged .489. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Horseshoe Bend's way against Notus in their previous matchup on April 6th, as Horseshoe Bend made off with a 22-7 win. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
