West Middlesex hasn't had much luck against Sharpsville recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Big Reds will head out on the road to challenge the Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. West Middlesex is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
West Middlesex is headed into Tuesday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Thursday. They lost 18-11 to Mercer.
Julia Thornton and Lila Kimmel did some serious damage despite the final result: Thornton got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double, while Kimmel went 2-for-3 with three runs and one triple. That triple was Kimmel's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaley Bowers, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Sharpsville waltzed into their game on Monday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They blew past the Mustangs 8-0. Considering the Blue Devils have won seven contests by more than seven runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
The result came thanks to Jordan Brest's shutout, as she gave up just four hits.
On the hitting side, Sharpsville got a big performance out of Lily Palko, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Another player making a difference was Emma Brest, who went 2-for-3 with two runs.
Sharpsville pushed their record up to 9-4 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.6 runs over those games. As for West Middlesex, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-7.
Sharpsville's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. West Middlesex has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Sharpsville, though, as they've been averaging only 2.3 strikeouts. Will West Middlesex keep running through batters, or will the Blue Devils buck the trend?
West Middlesex came up short against Sharpsville in their previous meeting on April 12th, falling 13-8. Can the Big Reds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
