The Oakland Patriots will square off against the Stewarts Creek Red Hawks at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Oakland sitting on four straight victories and Stewarts Creek on three.
Oakland had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Wilson Central on Monday. The Patriots were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Wildcats. The result was nothing new for the Patriots, who have now won 14 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Kyleigh Higgs was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with four RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Oakland let Jazmyne Watkins and Chloe Aaron run wild. Watkins went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Aaron went 1-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most runs Watkins has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Jada Ellison, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Oakland hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least two batters in nine consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Stewarts Creek hadn't done well against Blackman recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Red Hawks came out on top against the Blaze by a score of 7-2.
Stewarts Creek's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 24-6-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Oakland, their win bumped their record up to 24-5-2.
Oakland couldn't quite get it done against Stewarts Creek when the teams last played back in April of 2023 as they fell 5-0. Will the Patriots have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
