The Mark Morris Monarchs will head out on the road to challenge the Columbia River Rapids at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Mark Morris will come into the matchup with an undefeated record on the line.
If Mark Morris beats Columbia River with 15 runs on Monday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Monarchs didn't even let R.A. Long on the board on Friday, marking the Monarchs' second-straight 15-0 shutout. Give the Monarchs' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's fifth straight shutout.
Mark Morris let Michella Freeman and Shyanne Sellers run wild. Freeman went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while Sellers went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Freeman a new career-high. Megan Fugleberg was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Columbia River had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past the Panthers 14-2. The result was nothing new for the Rapids, who have now won three games by 12 runs or more so far this season.
Haylee Delano made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, Brooklyn Vickery and Solei Houk did most of the damage at the plate: Vickery got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, while Houk went 3-for-4 with three runs and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Ava Pratoussy, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI and one run.
Columbia River kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive matchups.
Mark Morris' victory was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-0. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Columbia River, their record now sits at 5-3.
Mark Morris was able to grind out a solid victory over Columbia River when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 6-1. Do the Monarchs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rapids turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
