vs
| 03/25/25 - Home | 4-3 W |
| 04/16/24 - Home | 11-0 W |
| 03/14/24 - Away | 11-3 W |
| 04/13/23 - Away | 9-3 W |
| 03/20/23 - Home | 13-2 W |
| + 5 more games |
Valencia is a perfect 10-0 against West Ranch since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Vikings will square off against the Wildcats at 3:15 p.m. Valencia's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so West Ranch's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Valencia fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Oaks Christian on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Lions by a score of 2-1. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Vikings couldn't push the score so high this time.
Carly Kearns spent all 8.1 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, West Ranch had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Grizzlies a 19-0 shutout. That 19 run margin sets a new team best for the Wildcats this season.
West Ranch got a massive performance out of PAIGE ARRINGTON, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Those four runs gave ARRINGTON a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of MALAYA ORDONA, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
West Ranch kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. They are 7-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
West Ranch's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-14. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs over those games. As for Valencia, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 12-7.
West Ranch's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Valencia has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for West Ranch, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.6 strikeouts. Will Valencia keep running through batters, or will the Wildcats buck the trend?
Valencia came out on top in a nail-biter against West Ranch in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
