Bishop Blanchet hasn't had much luck against Garfield recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Monday, Bishop Blanchet made easy work of Eastside Catholic and carried off a 14-5 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bears.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Garfield rose to the challenge on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over the Crusaders.
Ella Howard was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Those ten strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kaitlyn Washington was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Lissie Hogan, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one double.
Garfield kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are 16-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Garfield has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 14 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 9.7 runs. As for Bishop Blanchet, they pushed their record up to 12-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
Bishop Blanchet might still be hurting after the 22-12 defeat they got from Garfield in their previous matchup last Thursday. Can the Bears avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
