The Apollo Hawks will square off against the West Point Dragons at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Apollo has given up an average of 15.1 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Apollo is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 11 runs on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Sunnyslope on Wednesday. They lost 17-2 to the Vikings. The defeat continues a trend for the Hawks in their meetings with the Vikings: they've now lost nine in a row.
Apollo saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Whitney Chrisman, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, West Point won against Skyline on Thursday with 18 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again. West Point put the hurt on Apollo with a sharp 18-11 win. Considering the Dragons have won six games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
The team relied heavily on Leilani Mendez, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with five stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last six games she's played. Audrina Paschke was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
West Point kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive matchups.
West Point's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-6. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 20.3 runs over those games. As for Apollo, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Apollo hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .357. However, it's not like West Point struggles in that department as they've averaged .422. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Apollo suffered a grim 18-11 defeat to West Point in their previous meeting on Tuesday. Will Apollo have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
