The Reed Raiders will face off against the Douglas Tigers at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Reed is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 14-4 margin over McQueen. The Raiders haven't had any issues with the Lancers recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Britney Taelour spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on six hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
Breanna Staats
| 05/07/26 vs McQueen | 5 |
| 04/30/26 @ Spanish Springs | 4 |
| 04/28/26 @ Damonte Ranch | 4 |
| 04/07/26 @ Reno | 4 |
| 03/12/26 vs North Valleys | 4 |
On the hitting side, Reed got a massive performance out of Breanna Staats, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those five hits gave Staats a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaelee Hammes, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Reed was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .516. They are 18-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Douglas faced Damonte Ranch in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Tigers blew past the Mustangs 20-8. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Tigers considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Kira Northcutt was a standout: she got on base in five of her six plate appearances with one home run, six RBI, and four runs. Another player making a difference was Hailee Lister, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, four runs, and three RBI.
Reed's win bumped their record up to 25-10. As for Douglas, their victory bumped their record up to 15-18.
Douglas' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Reed has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Douglas, though, as they've been averaging 10.5 hits. Given Reed's sizable advantage in that area, the Tigers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Reed got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in April against Douglas by a conclusive 25-15 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
