Softball Preview: Ripon Indians vs. Escalon Cougars
The Ripon Indians will head out on the road to square off against the Escalon Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Ripon is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games.
Ripon can now show off nine landslide victories after their most recent matchup on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Hilmar as Ripon made off with a 9-2 win.
Kharime Caratachea spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on eight hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in ten consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Ripon let Addyson Wilmshurst and Jaycee Wilmshurst loose on the outfield. Wilmshurst scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Wilmshurst scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Wilmshurst has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Alana Hernandez, who went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Escalon ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged Hughson out 15-14. The victory was some much needed relief for Escalon as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
The team relied heavily on Violette Kent, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases, and four RBI. Arianna Velasco was another key contributor, going 2-for-6 with four RBI and a double.
Ripon pushed their record up to 14-4 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Escalon, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 6-14.
Escalon's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Ripon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.4 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Escalon, though, as they've been averaging only 2.2. Will Ripon keep running through batters, or will Escalon buck the trend?
Ripon skirted past Escalon 3-2 in their previous matchup back in April. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Escalon's Madison Babasa, who tossed eight innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Ripon still be able to contain Babasa? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
