The Edison Tigers are taking a road trip to take on the Bakersfield Christian Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Edison's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so Bakersfield Christian's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Edison is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Hanford West, sneaking past 3-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Tigers.
Alexis Verduzco spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on two hits and racked up 11 Ks.
On the hitting side, Edison's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Lauren Jones, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base. Another was Rubi Perez, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one RBI.
Meanwhile, Bakersfield Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Liberty on Tuesday, taking the game 10-6. The Eagles haven't had any issues with the Patriots recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Bakersfield Christian also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Anabell Hinojosa gave up five earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up 12 Ks. Hinojosa has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 26 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Cailee Carr and Bella Thomas did most of the damage at the plate: Carr got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run and two runs, while Thomas went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. That's the most hits Thomas has posted since back in March. Maddison Misuraca also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Bakersfield Christian's victory was their 26th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-9. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Edison, their record now sits at 14-11.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Edison hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Bakersfield Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
