The Piner Prospectors will take on the Healdsburg Greyhounds at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Piner is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Piner is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Ukiah just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Thursday. They lost 12-4 to the Wildcats. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Mialynn Membrilla was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Membrilla was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, three RBI, and one stolen base.
Membrilla wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Briana Sanchez, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run.
Meanwhile, while Healdsburg put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Montgomery. The Greyhounds blew past the Vikings 11-0. The result was nothing new for the Greyhounds, who have now won eight games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Not much got past Mia Halvorsen, who gave up just four hits and racked up seven Ks to keep Montgomery off the board.
At the plate, Healdsburg got a big performance out of Hannah Sellards, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases Sellards has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Hannah Levine-Smith, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Healdsburg kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Healdsburg's victory bumped their record up to 10-7. As for Piner, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 9-9.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Piner has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .470. However, it's not like Healdsburg struggles in that department as they've averaged .433. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Piner's way against Healdsburg when the teams last played on April 2nd, as Piner made off with a 12-1 win. Will the Prospectors repeat their success, or do the Greyhounds have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
