The Saugus Centurions are taking a road trip to take on the Valencia Vikings at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Saugus is coming into the match hot, having won their last eight games.
While Saugus' win against Canyon wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Centurions had just enough and edged out the Cowboys 5-4 on Tuesday. Five seems to be a good number for the Centurions as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Saugus got a great performance from Taliya Mata as she struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Mata has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
Amelia Johnson
| 04/15/25 @ Canyon | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs Golden Valley | 1 |
| 03/22/25 @ Camarillo | 1 |
| 03/18/25 vs Valencia | 1 |
| 03/07/25 vs Tournament Opponent | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Amelia Johnson, who fired off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-4. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Savanna Smith, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Valencia got the win against Hart on Tuesday by a conclusive 10-1. The Vikings have beaten the Hawks the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Hawks has come to flipping the script.
Carly Kearns spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up 12 Ks.
At the plate, Sydney Bolder and Blair Rune did most of the damage at the plate: Bolder scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Rune went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Aubrie Jensen, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Valencia kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Saugus' win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 18-4. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Valencia, their record is now 9-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Saugus hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Valencia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Saugus took their win against Valencia in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 13-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Centurions since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
