The Patrick Henry Patriots are taking a road trip to face off against the Montpelier Locomotives at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Patrick Henry sitting on four straight victories and Montpelier on 11.
Patrick Henry gave up the first runs on Saturday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 7-3 win over Carey.
Faith Meyer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Mariah Boyer was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. Grace Behnfeldt was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Montpelier made easy work of North Central last Friday and carried off a 22-2 victory. The Locomotives might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by ten runs or more this season.
Madelyn Hopper made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits (and not a single walk). Hopper was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lyla Mahan, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, five runs, and five RBI. That home run was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Katie Terry, who went 2-for-3 with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Montpelier always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .650. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Central only posted an OBP of .211.
Montpelier's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Patrick Henry, their record now sits at 19-4.
Both Patrick Henry and Montpelier just can't seem to miss. The Patriots have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.1 hits per game. However, it's not like Montpelier struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.2 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Patrick Henry might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Montpelier in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Can the Patriots avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
