Orofino is on an eight-game streak of home wins, while Grangeville is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Maniacs will host the Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Orofino's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They put the hurt on St. Maries with a sharp 17-0 victory. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Aiden Olive
| 05/01/25 vs St. Maries | 4 |
| 04/25/25 @ Kellogg | 2 |
| 04/23/25 @ Grangeville | 2 |
| 04/19/25 vs Marsing | 3 |
| 04/15/25 vs Grangeville | 1 |
| + 5 more games |
Aiden Olive was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Blake Barlow, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Orofino kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in seven consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Grangeville made easy work of Priest River on Thursday and carried off an 18-0 win. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Spartans recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Grangeville also got a great performance from Tate Thacker as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on JT Jackson, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Grangeville is undefeated when Jackson posts two or more runs, but 6-9 otherwise. Thayn Williams was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Orofino is on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 17 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Grangeville, their victory bumped their record up to 15-9.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Orofino hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .343. However, it's not like Grangeville struggles in that department as they've averaged .314. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Orofino came out on top in a nail-biter against Grangeville when the teams last played last Wednesday, sneaking past 7-5. Do the Maniacs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
