The Milano Eagles will take on the McGregor Bulldogs in a tournament on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
McGregor will be up against a hot Milano squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. Everything went Milano's way against Somerville on Friday as Milano made off with a 16-9 win. The Eagles' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
The team relied heavily on Marissa Balderas, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Rayelee Keen, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Milano was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .462. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Somerville only posted a batting average of .312.
Meanwhile, McGregor got the win against Mart on Thursday by a conclusive 15-2.
Khloe Peterson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in walks (zero). She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Addyson Todd was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and four runs. Isabella Salas was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
Milano pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to strikeouts: they averaged an imposing 8.33 strikeouts in those games compared to only four in the others. As for McGregor, their record is now 11-1.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Milano hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .367. However, it's not like McGregor struggles in that department as they've averaged .493. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Milano took their win against McGregor in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a conclusive 10-1. Will Milano repeat their success, or does McGregor have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
