vs
| 04/22/24 - Away | 9-2 W |
| 04/22/24 - Away | 4-3 W |
| 04/27/23 - Home | 7-10 L |
| 04/27/23 - Home | 10-8 W |
| 04/21/22 - Home | 12-11 W |
| + 5 more games |
Sabetha and Jefferson West are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Bluejays will look to defend their home field on Monday against the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
On Thursday, Sabetha earned an 8-3 win over Hiawatha.
Sophia Haverkamp was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Those two hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kiera Keim, who went 1-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Sabetha kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 6-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Jefferson West). They blew past Valley Falls 18-1 on Thursday. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
Harriet Dean was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs.
In other pitching news, Josie Old looked comfortable as she pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Jefferson West got a massive performance out of Ryleigh Zitek, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Addison Garrett was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Jefferson West's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Sabetha, the victory got them back to even at 8-8.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Sabetha hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .341. However, it's not like Jefferson West struggles in that department as they've averaged .348. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Sabetha's way against Jefferson West when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Sabetha made off with a 9-2 win. Will the Bluejays repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
