Softball Preview: Ripon Indians vs. Hilmar Yellowjackets
After four games on the road, Ripon is heading back home. They will take on the Hilmar Yellowjackets at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Ripon put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Wednesday. They never let Livingston onto the board and left with a 13-0 victory. With that win, Ripon brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Kharime Caratachea made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Caratachea has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances. Caratachea was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run.
In other batting news, Ripon got a massive performance out of Alana Hernandez, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Abigail Stewart was another key contributor, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3.
Hilmar barely beat Escalon the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Hilmar put the hurt on Escalon with a sharp 16-3 victory on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for Hilmar.
Hilmar also got a great performance from Danica Campbell as she tossed five innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (she also didn't allow any walks).
On the hitting side, Camryn Mattos was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Karley Segura, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Ripon's win bumped their record up to 8-4. As for Hilmar, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
Hilmar's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Ripon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.3 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Hilmar, though, as they've been averaging only 2.2. Will Ripon keep running through batters, or will Hilmar buck the trend?
Ripon took their victory against Hilmar when the teams last played back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 7-1. Does Ripon have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hilmar turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
