The Basha Bears will head out to challenge the Sunnyslope Vikings at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Basha took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Horizon a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Bears have won ten matches by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Kylee Duffy tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over five innings pitched. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March.
On the hitting side, Basha got a massive performance out of Makaila Quinney, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs Quinney has posted since back in March. Aniyah Jaiman also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Basha always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .517. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Horizon only posted an OBP of .176.
Meanwhile, Sunnyslope had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They blew past Corona del Sol 13-3 on Monday.
The team relied heavily on Sam Hyde, who fired off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Molly Nordstrom, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and three runs.
Basha's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Sunnyslope, their win was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 6-11.
Sunnyslope's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Basha has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Sunnyslope, though, as they've been averaging 10.5 hits. Given Basha's sizable advantage in that area, the Vikings will need to find a way to close that gap.
Basha took their victory against Sunnyslope when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 12-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
