Wheeler hasn't had much luck against Pine Grove recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Eagles will challenge the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Wheeler is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand West Lowndes a 10-0 shutout. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Eagles considering their one-run performance the game before.
Emma Kate Beckham made a big impact no matter where she played. 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). Beckham was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Macie Arnold, who earned two runs and three stolen bases. Kenzie Shaw was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Pine Grove made easy work of Hickory Flat on Friday and carried off a 16-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Like Wheeler, Pine Grove also got a great game from a two-way player: Memory Mauney. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Mauney was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Pine Grove got a massive performance out of Reagan Childs, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, four RBI, and one double. Those four RBI gave Childs a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Anaston Christian, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Pine Grove was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. They are 7-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Wheeler is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 17 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Pine Grove, their victory bumped their record up to 15-13.
Everything went Wheeler's way against Pine Grove when the teams last played back in March, as Wheeler made off with a 14-5 win. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
