The Bartlett Hawks will venture away from home to challenge the Metea Valley Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Bartlett is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 13 runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Lake Park on Wednesday. They lost 16-0 to the Lancers. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since May 1, 2021, but that streak is no more.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Metea Valley, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. Everything went their way against Larkin on Wednesday as they made off with a 13-3 win. The high-scoring effort was just what the Mustangs needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.
Haylie Wisch was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.8 strikeouts per game. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Lilly Aguilar was incredible, going 3-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those doubles marked the first that she has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Aleyna French, who went 2-for-5 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Metea Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Larkin only posted a batting average of .125.
Metea Valley now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Bartlett, their loss was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-2.
Everything went Bartlett's way against Metea Valley when the teams last played back in March of 2023, as Bartlett made off with a 17-8 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
