After both having extra time off, the Strawberry Crest Chargers and the Sickles Gryphons will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Strawberry Crest's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Thursday. Everything went their way against Tampa Bay Tech as Strawberry Crest made off with a 16-0 win. The victory was some much needed relief for the Chargers as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Katelyn Watts made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-1.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kennedy Shea, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with five RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. Shelby Lawrence also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen bases of the season.
Strawberry Crest always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .692. They are 2-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Sickles got the win against Armwood last Thursday by a conclusive 15-0. With that win, the Gryphons brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Like Strawberry Crest, Sickles also got a great game from a two-way player: Lauren Larsen. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Larsen has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Kalyssa Austin and Zoe Mello did most of the damage at the plate: Austin went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and five RBI, while Mello went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Briana Browder, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
The victory made it two in a row for Sickles and bumps their season record up to 5-8. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Strawberry Crest, their record now sits at 3-6.
Strawberry Crest suffered a grim 14-4 defeat to Sickles in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. Can Strawberry Crest avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
