The Saluda Tigers will venture away from home to take on the Strom Thurmond Rebels at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Saluda will be looking to extend their current 15-game winning streak.
Saluda's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Andrew Jackson with a sharp 8-0 victory. Considering the Tigers have won nine games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Miller Martin made a splash no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 14 over six innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Jayme Sheaffer and Nyla Jordan did most of the damage at the plate: Sheaffer went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run, while Jordan went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most hits Jordan has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, Strom Thurmond beat American Leadership Academy 4-0 on Monday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Rebels.
The result came thanks to Emmy Mckie's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, Olivia Grant was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Addyson Harrison, who went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs.
Saluda pushed their record up to 15-3-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Strom Thurmond, their record is now 11-5.
Strom Thurmond's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Saluda has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Strom Thurmond, though, as they've been averaging only 3.4 strikeouts. Will Saluda keep running through batters, or will the Rebels buck the trend?
Everything went Saluda's way against Strom Thurmond in their previous meeting back in March, as Saluda made off with an 11-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
