North Valleys has won eight straight games at home, while Truckee has won eight straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Saturday. The Panthers will welcome the Wolverines at 10:00 a.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Truckee's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Saturday: North Valleys hadn't allowed a single run the last five times they've hit the field. The Panthers' pitchers stepped up to hand Wooster a 15-0 shutout on Wednesday.
Austin Dozier made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Caden Birch was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and two triples. That's the most triples he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Brooks Anderline, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs.
North Valleys kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They are a perfect 14-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Truckee made easy work of Hug on Wednesday and carried off a 10-0 win.
Colby Jitloff looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Logan Arata, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs. He has become a key player for Truckee: the team is 10-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 6-7 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Rhys Roberts, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Truckee has been performing well recently as they've won 14 of their last 17 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for North Valleys, their win bumped their record up to 18-5.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. North Valleys hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .388. However, it's not like Truckee struggles in that department as they've averaged .319. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
North Valleys came out on top in a nail-biter against Truckee in their previous matchup on April 2nd, sneaking past 7-6. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Wolverines have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
