The Long Reach Lightning will take on the Centennial Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Long Reach and Oakland Mills meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Lightning blew past the Scorpions 15-2. The high-scoring effort was just what the Lightning needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.
Meanwhile, Centennial waltzed into their match on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by a 19-1 margin over the Wildecats.
Lauren Jensen made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in both of her plate appearances with two runs and one RBI. That RBI was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Centennial let Layla Schroyer and Maddie Reese run wild. Schroyer went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Reese went a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That home run marked the first that Schroyer has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Julia Braganca, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Centennial was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .609. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Long Reach's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-6. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Centennial, their victory bumped their record up to 6-4.
Everything went Long Reach's way against Centennial in their previous meeting back in March, as Long Reach made off with a 7-1 win. Will the Lightning repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
