The Booker Tornadoes will face off against the Southeast Seminoles at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Booker took a 16-run loss the last time they faced off against Family Christian Academy, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Tornadoes came out on top in a nail-biter against the Mustangs on Monday, sneaking past 25-24. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Tornadoes as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Booker got a massive performance out of Joanna Diego-Lucas, who scored four runs and stole eight bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. A'Rayia Davis was another key player, scoring four runs and stealing six bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Southeast can bid farewell to their eight-game losing streak thanks to their game on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Lakewood as they made off with a 22-4 victory. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Seminoles' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Southeast also got a great performance from Lucero (Jada) Salas-Canales as she struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up four earned runs off only two hits. Those seven strikeouts gave Salas-Canales a new career-high.
At the plate, Kaelyn Poole was a standout: she scored four runs and stole two bases while going 4-for-6. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February. The team also got some help courtesy of Kimberly Cordero, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
Southeast's win bumped their record up to 2-10. As for Booker, their victory bumped their record up to 4-5.
Southeast's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Booker has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. It's a different story for Southeast, though, as they've been averaging 14.7 hits. Given Booker's sizable advantage in that area, the Seminoles will need to find a way to close that gap.
Booker took their win against Southeast in their previous matchup back in February by a conclusive 50-33 score. Will the Tornadoes repeat their success, or do the Seminoles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
