Shelley is 0-4 against Preston since April of 2021 but things could change on Thursday. The Russets will venture away from home to square off against the Indians at 3:00 p.m. One thing working in Shelley's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last six matchups.
Shelley will bounce into Thursday's game after beating Hillcrest, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Russets walked away with a 12-7 victory over the Knights on Tuesday.
The team relied heavily on Carlie Hurd, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (two). Maddy Murdoch also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Hurd wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Shelley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Preston made easy work of Snake River on Tuesday and carried off a 19-4 win. The result was nothing new for the Indians, who have now won three matchups by ten runs or more so far this season.
Samantha Owens and Rachel Gilbert did most of the damage at the plate: Owens scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Gilbert scored two runs while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Ally Smith, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
The victory made it two in a row for Preston and bumps their season record up to 5-3. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 6 runs in those games. As for Shelley, they pushed their record up to 8-3 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Shelley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .347. However, it's not like Preston struggles in that department as they've averaged .418. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Shelley couldn't quite get it done against Preston when the teams last played back in April of 2022 as they fell 13-9. Can the Russets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
