The Vanden Vikings will take on the Vacaville Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Vanden sitting on seven straight victories and Vacaville on four.
On Wednesday, Vanden got the win against Pioneer by a conclusive 8-1. The result was nothing new for the Vikings, who have now won seven matches by seven runs or more so far this season.
Isabella Cueva spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Niayli Calvo and Daisy Pallares did most of the damage at the plate: Calvo went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI, while Pallares fired off two home runs while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs Calvo has posted since back in February. The team also got some help courtesy of KJ Horton, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles.
Vanden hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in 11 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Vacaville made easy work of River City on Wednesday and carried off a 25-3 win. The Bulldogs are also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the eighth contest they've won by 6+ runs this season.
Vacaville let Makayla Morgan and Lola Vazquez run wild. Morgan went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs, while Vazquez went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. Morgan also put up a stolen base, which was her first of the season. Hayden Kyne was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Vanden's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Vacaville, their record is now 10-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Vanden hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Vacaville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.3 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Vanden might still be hurting after the 11-5 defeat they got from Vacaville in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
