The Chelsea Hornets will challenge the Pelham Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Pelham will be up against a hot Chelsea team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Hornets put the hurt on Mortimer Jordan with a sharp 12-2 win on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Hornets, who have now won 12 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Lorelei Beck made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sydney Carroll, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits she has posted over her last 11 contests. Emma Parmley was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Chelsea hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in 13 consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Pelham got the win against Mountain Brook on Monday by a conclusive 9-2. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Spartans recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Ryann Jones spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on ten hits.
At the plate, Jordan Young was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Emery Plunkett, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Chelsea's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-10-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Pelham, their win bumped their record up to 8-13.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Chelsea hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Pelham struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Chelsea took their victory against Pelham in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 14-5 score. Will the Hornets repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
