Lower Lake hasn't had much luck against St. Helena recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Trojans will face off against the Saints at 4:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Lower Lake sitting on four straight wins and St. Helena on 12.
Lower Lake had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Middletown on Tuesday. The Trojans never let the Mustangs get on the board and left with a 7-0 victory.
Mariah Bal
| 04/29/25 vs Middletown | 12 |
| 04/25/25 @ Fort Bragg | 7 |
| 04/25/25 vs Fort Bragg | 11 |
| 04/22/25 vs Kelseyville | 11 |
| 04/18/25 vs Cloverdale | 12 |
| + 2 more games |
The result came thanks to Mariah Bal's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jamiya Lee-Ayers, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Heidi Ortega was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Meanwhile, St. Helena made easy work of Kelseyville on Tuesday and carried off a 16-2 win. Considering the Saints have won 14 games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Tahlia Smith made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Smith was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, five RBI, and one triple.
In other batting news, St. Helena let Ellie Carmichael and Emily Glakeler run wild. Carmichael got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI, while Glakeler went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Anais Hernandez, who got on base in both of her plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
St. Helena kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in 12 consecutive contests.
St. Helena pushed their record up to 16-4 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Lower Lake, their record now sits at 8-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lower Lake has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Helena struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lower Lake came up short against St. Helena in their previous matchup on April 8th, falling 7-2. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
