The Sumner Spartans will head out on the road to take on the Emerald Ridge Jaguars at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Sumner 2.8, Emerald Ridge 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Emerald Ridge will be up against a hot Sumner team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. The Spartans' pitcher stepped up to hand Olympia an 8-0 shutout on Wednesday. The game was the first time the Spartans have beaten the Bears on their field since April 18, 2019.
Naya Alastra was a standout: she went 2-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Makenna Lysene also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen bases of the season.
Alastra wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Sumner kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Emerald Ridge, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. Everything went their way against Bethel on Monday as they made off with a 16-1 victory. Considering the Jaguars have won four games by more than 14 runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Alanna Wirtala was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Wirtala was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Abygale Redwine, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Kenzie Stolmeier, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one double.
Sumner's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-0. As for Emerald Ridge, they moved to 4-3 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Sumner hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Emerald Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Sumner came up short against Emerald Ridge when the teams last played back in May of 2024, falling 5-1. Can the Spartans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
