The Homedale Trojans will venture away from home to square off against the Fruitland Grizzlies at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Homedale is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.3 runs per game this season.
Homedale is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Idaho's top teams: Cole Valley Christian, who was ranked eighth at the time (Homedale was ranked 13th). The Trojans came out on top against the Chargers by a score of 8-5 on Monday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Trojans.
Mason Taylor spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered five earned runs on five hits.
On the hitting side, Lukas Hall was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Boston Ivie, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
Meanwhile, Fruitland put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over Payette. Considering the Grizzlies have won 17 games by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Fruitland also got a great performance from Jameson George as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over 4.2 innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave George a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
At the plate, Quinn Hood was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Titus Vidlak, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Fruitland always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Payette only posted an OBP of .316.
Fruitland's win was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.6 runs over those games. As for Homedale, their record is now 18-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Homedale has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Fruitland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Homedale suffered a grim 10-4 defeat to Fruitland in their previous meeting on Wednesday. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
