The Preston Indians will venture away from home to challenge the Bear Lake Bears at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Bear Lake will be up against a hot Preston team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. The Indians had just enough and edged out American Falls 12-10.
Averie Madsen was incredible, going 4-for-5 with three runs, three doubles, and two RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Samantha Owens, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Preston was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .486. They are a perfect 10-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Bear Lake ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They skirted past American Falls 6-5. The Bears haven't had any issues with the Beavers recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Brooklynn Crockett spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on eight hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Peyten Crockett, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Brooklynn Pope was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Bear Lake pushed their record up to 9-10 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Preston, they now have a winning record of 11-10.
Bear Lake's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Preston has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Bear Lake, though, as they've been averaging 10.4 hits. Given Preston's sizable advantage in that area, the Bears will need to find a way to close that gap.
Preston came up short against Bear Lake when the teams last played on April 9th, falling 11-6. Can the Indians avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
