The Firth Cougars will face off against the Challis Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Firth sitting on four straight victories and Challis on three.
On Monday, Firth got the win against Salmon by a conclusive 10-2. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by eight runs or more this season.
Tonk Perry spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits.
At the plate, Firth let Darrell Vasquez and Cooper Park run wild. Vasquez went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one run, while Park went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most RBI Park has posted over his last 11 contests. The team also got some help courtesy of Grant Vasquez, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Firth hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Challis posted their closest win since March 25th on Saturday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over Wendell.
Brayden Ollar made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Ollar wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Tanner Ellsworth, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base.
Challis' win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-5-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Firth, their record now sits at 13-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Firth has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Challis struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Firth came out on top in a nail-biter against Challis in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 9-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
