The South Kitsap Wolves will head out on the road to square off against the Emerald Ridge Jaguars at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. South Kitsap is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
On Wednesday, South Kitsap beat Sumner 12-9. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Wolves.
Madison Bonilla made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She pitched 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maleah Sawyers, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Reagan Dale, who went 3-for-4 with three doubles, one run, and one RBI.
South Kitsap kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Emerald Ridge posted their closest victory since April 14th on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Puyallup a 2-0 shutout. The Jaguars haven't had any issues with the Vikings recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
The result came thanks to Alanna Wirtala's shutout, as she gave up just three hits and racked up 12 Ks.
At the plate, Payton Robillard was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple. That triple was her first of the season.
South Kitsap's record now sits at 8-9. As for Emerald Ridge, their record is now 13-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. South Kitsap hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Emerald Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
South Kitsap couldn't quite finish off Emerald Ridge when the teams last played back in April and fell 6-4. Can the Wolves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
