The Golden Valley Cougars will head out on the road to challenge the Ripon Indians at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Golden Valley fell victim to Atwater and their airtight pitching crew last Tuesday. They came up short against the Falcons, falling 6-0. The loss continues a trend for the Cougars in their meetings with the Falcons: they've now lost nine in a row.
Meanwhile, Ripon waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with nine straight wins... but they left with ten. Everything went their way against the Bruins as they made off with a 9-2 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Indians have posted against the Bruins since March 29, 2022.
Alexandra Dubbs spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single walk in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Madelyn Fouts, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Those two runs gave her a new career-high. Savannah Chapman also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Ripon's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-7. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Golden Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-14.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Golden Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ripon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
