The Hanford West Huskies will head out on the road to face off against the Lemoore Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Hanford West will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Hanford West is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Chowchilla 11-9. The Huskies' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
King Mitre
| 05/21/25 @ Chowchilla | 3 |
| 04/14/25 vs Highland | 2 |
| 04/04/25 @ Exeter | 2 |
| 03/31/25 vs Dos Palos | 2 |
| 03/20/25 vs Central Valley Christian | 2 |
King Mitre was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ben Ritchie, who went 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Lemoore not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 2nd (when they won 17-1). They blew past Foothill 10-1. The win was familiar territory for the Tigers, who have now won three contests in a row.
Ian Snell made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs.
In other batting news, Tristan Puga and Drake Varela did most of the damage at the plate: Puga went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one RBI, while Varela went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That double was Varela's first of the season. Chris Garcia was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Lemoore was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .348 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Lemoore's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-12. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Hanford West, their record is now 13-14.
Hanford West might still be hurting after the 15-1 defeat they got from Lemoore in their previous matchup back in March of 2021. Can the Huskies avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
