The Atlanta Rabbits are taking a road trip to square off against the Hooks Hornets at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Atlanta is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.
Atlanta was handed a 15-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Monday. They skirted past Queen City 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Rabbits have posted against the Bulldogs since March 23, 2021.
Gabby Arredondo spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ella Garrett, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hooks). They blew past Queen City 23-1 last Monday. The victory was familiar territory for the Hornets, who have now won six games in a row.
Peyton Morgan was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
In other batting news, Hooks let Stella Fincher and Zoey Greenwood run wild. Fincher scored four runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4, while Greenwood went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and four RBI. That's the most stolen bases Greenwood has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Hadlee Grant, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three doubles and three RBI.
Hooks kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Hooks pushed their record up to 16-5 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Atlanta, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-8-1 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Atlanta hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Hooks struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Atlanta suffered a grim 12-2 defeat to Hooks when the teams last played back in March. Can the Rabbits avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
