The Duchesne Eagles will square off against the Grand County Red Devils at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday. Duchesne is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
Duchesne is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Parowan a 15-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won 18 matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.
Kira Grant made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three stolen bases and three runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted over her last 15 contests.
In other batting news, Prezley Farnsworth and Chezney Farnsworth did most of the damage at the plate: Prezley went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Chezney got on base in all three of her plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Madi Larsen, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Duchesne was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .562. They are 17-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Grand County earned a 6-1 victory over San Juan on Saturday.
CHLOE Byrd spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up 12 Ks.
At the plate, Grand County's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Hope Shumway, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Bailey Altoff was another, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Grand County is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Duchesne, their win bumped their record up to 22-7.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Duchesne hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .412. However, it's not like Grand County struggles in that department as they've averaged .396. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Duchesne's way against Grand County in their previous meeting back in March, as Duchesne made off with a 16-4 victory. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Red Devils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
