Mineral Ridge hasn't had much luck against McDonald recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Rams will head out on the road to square off against the Blue Devils at 5:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Mineral Ridge 3.5, McDonald 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While Mineral Ridge's win against Memorial wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Rams skirted past the Red Devils 11-9. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Rams.
Lily Merolillo made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 15 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one triple. That's the most hits she has posted over her last 11 matches.
In other batting news, Maddie Gerberry was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Sullivan Sandy, who went 2-for-5 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Mineral Ridge lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask McDonald). They were the clear victors by a 21-1 margin over Western Reserve on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Like Mineral Ridge, McDonald also got a great game from a two-way player: Gianna Mancini. She struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Mancini was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kayla Helco, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Sophia Pecchia was another key player, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs.
McDonald has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Mineral Ridge, their record now sits at 15-5-1.
Mineral Ridge was able to grind out a solid victory over McDonald in their previous matchup back in March, winning 4-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
