Priest River is on a 13-game streak of home losses dating back to last season, and Newport a three-game streak of away losses. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Saturday. The Priest River Spartans will be playing at home against the Newport Grizzlies at 12:00 p.m. Priest River has given up an average of 21.9 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Priest River lost 41-4 to Orofino on Friday.
Priest River saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rylee Dixon, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Dixon also brought in an RBI, marking her first of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Newport). They blew past Kettle Falls 15-4 on Saturday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Grizzlies with their most commanding win of the season.
Lili Hall made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Bella Boyd was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024. Flavi Stutzman was another key player, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Newport hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in four consecutive contests.
Priest River's loss dropped their record down to 0-7-1. As for Newport, their victory bumped their record up to 4-5.
Priest River suffered a grim 23-5 defeat to Newport in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. Can the Spartans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
