Caldwell hasn't had much luck against Middleton recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Cougars will be playing in front of their home fans against the Vikings at 5:00 p.m. Caldwell is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Caldwell took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Emmett 12-2.
Bristol Runnels spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up ten Ks.
At the plate, Ruby Balderaz was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Rylie Felton, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI.
Caldwell was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .472. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Middleton faced Vallivue in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Vikings sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-7 win over the Falcons. The victory was familiar territory for the Vikings, who have now won four matchups in a row.
The team relied heavily on Kenadi Whitlow, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Sadie Stafford, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Middleton's win was their 11th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Caldwell, their win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-10.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Caldwell hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Middleton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Caldwell might still be hurting after the 21-0 loss they got from Middleton in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Will the Cougars have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
