The Round Valley Elks will head out on the road to square off against the Northland Prep Academy Spartans at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Northland Prep Academy took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Round Valley, who comes in off a win.
Round Valley will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Monday, then bounced right back against Hopi on Wednesday. The Elks never let the Bruins get on the board and left with a 15-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Elks, who have now won seven matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.
Carla Arreola was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Skyler Hevener was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with two triples, two runs, and two RBI. Those two triples gave her a new career-high. Autum Webster was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Round Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .593. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Northland Prep Academy fell victim to Williams and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They came up short against the Vikings, falling 14-0. The contest marked the first time this year in which the Spartans were not able to get on the board.
Round Valley is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Northland Prep Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Round Valley hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Northland Prep Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Round Valley might still be hurting after the 8-2 loss they got from Northland Prep Academy in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Can the Elks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
