Astoria is on a three-game streak of home wins, while St. Helens is on a seven-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Fishermen will host the Lions at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Astoria 3, St. Helens 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Astoria is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Oregon's top teams: Scappoose, who was ranked 17th at the time (Astoria was ranked 13th). The Fishermen's pitcher stepped up to hand the Indians a 2-0 shutout on Thursday.
The result came thanks to Maddie Wilkin's shutout, as she gave up just four hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Aryana Adams, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, St. Helens made easy work of Seaside on Thursday and carried off a 19-3 victory. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won 12 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Eme Curaming made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Curaming was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, St. Helens got a massive performance out of Madelyn Hancock, who fired off two home runs, four runs, and two stolen bases while going 3-for-3. That's the most runs Hancock has posted since back in April. Halli Heys was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs.
St. Helens lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
St. Helens has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 15 of their last 16 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Astoria, their victory bumped their record up to 17-4-1.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Astoria hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .333. However, it's not like St. Helens struggles in that department as they've averaged .349. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
