The Southridge Suns will square off against the Hermiston Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Southridge will be strutting in after a win while Hermiston will be coming in after a loss.
Southridge will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Monday, then bounced right back against Pasco on Tuesday. The Suns blew past the Bulldogs 16-1. The result was nothing new for the Suns, who have now won five contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Avery Garvey made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Jadyn Holdren was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Faith Hickman, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and three runs.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 22 runs the game before, Hermiston was a bit more limited in their game on Tuesday. They fell just short of Hanford by a score of 3-2. The defeat continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their meetings with the Falcons: they've now lost six in a row.
Hermiston saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Karsyn Botefuhr, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Hermiston's loss dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Southridge, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Southridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .426. However, it's not like Hermiston struggles in that department as they've averaged .432. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Southridge came out on top in a nail-biter against Hermiston in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 9-7. Will the Suns repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
