The Saratoga Falcons will venture away from home to face off against the Fremont Firebirds at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Saratoga is coming into the match hot, having won their last nine games.
Saratoga came out on top against Monta Vista on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive eight-run second inning. The Falcons blew past the Matadors 13-0. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 games by eight runs or more this season.
Saira Ramakrishnan made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one stolen base and two RBI.
In other batting news, Saratoga got a big performance out of Alyssa Tham, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Sarah Musani also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Saratoga was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .481. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April.
Meanwhile, Fremont didn't have quite enough to beat Santa Clara on Wednesday and fell 11-9.
Like Saratoga, Fremont also got a great game from a two-way player: Jiyah Caban. She tossed 2.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Caban was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Tehya Williamson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs. Natalie Kim was another key player, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Saratoga pushed their record up to 18-2 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.4 runs over those games. As for Fremont, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Saratoga has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fremont struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Saratoga took their victory against Fremont in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
