The Oakleaf Knights will head out on the road to face off against the Pace Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Oakleaf comes in on three and Pace on six.
Oakleaf is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over Bartram Trail. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Knights have posted against the Bears since March 10, 2015.
Charlotte Maddox spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Oakleaf's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jaydyn Beall, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one double. Avery Garcia was another, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Oakleaf hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bartram Trail struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, Pace never let their opponents score on Thursday. They put the hurt on Fletcher with a sharp 11-0 win. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Fletcher's batters probably weren't too happy with Hannah DeMarcus, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 14 Ks (she gave up zero walks).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Abby McLean, who fired off two home runs while going 2-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lana Gonzales, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Pace pushed their record up to 21-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Oakleaf, the victory got them back to even at 12-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oakleaf has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pace struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 16 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oakleaf was able to grind out a solid win over Pace when the teams last played back in April of 2015, winning 5-0. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Patriots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
