River Ridge is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Monday. They will head out to take on the Timberline Blazers at 4:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Timberline will be up against a hot River Ridge squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. River Ridge blew past Shelton 16-1 on Friday. Considering the Hawks have won three games by more than 14 runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Raylie Birklid was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. Birklid was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, River Ridge let Emma Liljenberg and Lahtecia Garduno Hatch run wild. Liljenberg got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Garduno Hatch went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one double. What's more, Liljenberg posted two RBI, the most she's had since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Lana Trinidad, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
River Ridge always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .676. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Timberline got the win against Silas on Monday by a conclusive 14-6. The Blazers haven't had any issues with the Rams recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Nevaeh Haagen made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over six innings while giving up six earned runs off eight hits. Haagen was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Madelyn Gilmore, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Porsha Miller was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
River Ridge's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.7 runs over those games. As for Timberline, their record now sits at 2-0.
River Ridge couldn't quite finish off Timberline in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 3-1. Can River Ridge avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
