University Prep is 2-8 against West Valley since May of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The University Prep Panthers will be playing at home against the West Valley Eagles at 2:00 p.m. University Prep will be looking to keep their ten-game home win streak alive.
University Prep is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Willows a 10-0 shutout. University Prep might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won ten matchups by six runs or more this season.
Gracie Hornbuckle tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 13 over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Leigha Wood, who fired off three home runs, four runs, and five RBI while going 3-for-3. Madisyn Rubalcava was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
West Valley aren't just finding success at home, as their game on Thursday extended their overall winning streak to five. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Colusa and snuck past 4-3.
Aubree Wertz spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Addy Taylor, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs. Another player making a difference was Cadynce Gippner, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
University Prep has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 24-3-1 record this season. As for West Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 18-10.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both team's pitchers. University Prep hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. However, it's not like West Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .372. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
University Prep might still be hurting after the 8-2 loss they got from West Valley when the teams last played last Tuesday. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Wertz, who pitched 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Now that University Prep knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
