The Middletown Islanders will head out to face off against the Shea Raiders at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Middletown will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Friday, then bounced right back against Exeter-West Greenwich on Monday. The Islanders were the clear victors by a 13-1 margin over the Scarlet Knights.
Meanwhile, while Shea put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Exeter-West Greenwich. The Raiders put the hurt on the Scarlet Knights with a sharp 17-0 victory. Winning may never get old, but the Raiders sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
Taylor Kane made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Gianna Quinones was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one double. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Clara Perez, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Shea always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .833. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Shea's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-8. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Middletown, the win got them back to even at 9-9.
Everything went Middletown's way against Shea in their previous meeting back in April, as Middletown made off with a 22-2 victory. Will the Islanders repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
