The Stanton Blue Devils will face off against the Parker Braves at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Stanton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 12.5 runs per game this season.
Stanton will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Thursday, then bounced right back against Raines on Monday. The Blue Devils were the clear victors by a 13-7 margin over the Vikings. The win continues a trend for the Blue Devils in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won three in a row.
Leah Joseph made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits. Joseph was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Talayah Pusey was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Evie Moore, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Stanton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .561. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Parker was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They came up short against Harvest Community, falling 16-0.
Parker saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aniyah Cherry, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one double.
Parker's loss dropped their record down to 3-10. As for Stanton, their victory bumped their record up to 9-4.
Parker's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Stanton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Parker, though, as they've been averaging only 1.9 strikeouts. Will Stanton keep running through batters, or will the Braves buck the trend?
Everything went Stanton's way against Parker in their previous matchup back in March, as Stanton made off with a 17-1 win. Will the Blue Devils repeat their success, or do the Braves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
