The Raiders and Yavapai each had a contestant in the final four of Monday’s NJCAA Home Run Derby.
Three Rivers came out victorious after Zoe Bisby hit 15 home runs to win the derby. The full squads will get involved when No. 10 Three Rivers and No. 7 Yavapai play in the first round of the NJCAA World Series at 8 p.m. central time in Yuma, Ariz.
Yavapai (36-5), a relatively local team that’s a four-hour drive from Yuma, is sixth in the nation in batting average (.420), fourth in on-base percentage (.499) and third in slugging percentage (.821).
“They’re a big-hitting team. Power 1-8 in the lineup, 9-hole is a super-fast kid,” Three Rivers coach Jeff Null said. “Offensively, they are as good as anybody we’ve seen this year.”
Cheyenne Sandoval, who finished third in the home run derby, had 14 home runs and is tied for third on the team. Mikaela Payne leads Yavapai with 17 home runs and a .975 slugging percentage.
The Roughriders have seven players hitting above .400 for the season but have only stolen 49 bases with four sacrifice bunts.
Comparatively, the Raiders have 95 stolen bases, including 19 each by team-leaders Molly Spangler and Jaime Lee.
While the Raiders also like hitting the long ball - they are seventh in the nation with 107 home runs, eight more than Yavapai - Three Rivers also has 17 sacrifice bunts.
Three Rivers also enters the national tournament eighth in slugging percentage (.696) and batting average against (.240).
“They get after you. They come and bring the intensity, kind of similar to Crowder,” Null said.
Yavapai’s nickname isn’t the only similarity to Crowder, another offensive juggernaut ranked in the top-10 in runs, doubles and walks.
Null said Yavapai’s ace Emily Dix reminds him of Crowder’s Sydney Ward. Both have a good rise ball, work away, and don’t throw offspeed a lot.
Dix (18-3) has a 2.61 ERA with 8.91strikeouts per seven innings. Ward had slightly better numbers at 1.26/11.91. The Raiders won 5 of 6 against Crowder in the regular season.
“We had mixed results against Ward,” Null said. “Definitely a caliber of pitcher where you better bring it, or she’ll embarrass you.”
Three Rivers will have Kindi Puckett (21-2) in the circle. Puckett has a 1.84 ERA and 8.95 strikeouts per seven innings. Opponents have a .188 batting average against her.
The game is at 6 p.m. west coast time, about an hour before sunset and temperatures are projected to be 97 degrees at the start of the game.
“I do think (Yavapai) will have an advantage playing in these conditions,” Null said. “We noticed in practice (Monday) that sun is always an issue. The ground is dry and hard. The ball bounces a little harder than it does at home.”
Scott Borkgren - Daily American Republic