East Marion hasn't had much luck against Salem recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Eagles will challenge the Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. East Marion has given up an average of 12.9 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
East Marion is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They walked away with a 22-17 victory over Resurrection Catholic on Friday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for East Marion considering their two-run performance the match before.
Adrinae Aikens was a standout: she fired off two home runs, ten RBI, and four runs while going 4-for-6. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 3.1 RBI per game. Kylie Watts was another key player, going 3-for-5 with one home run, two triples, and three runs.
Aikens wasn't the only one working in the home run department: East Marion lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since the start of last season.
Meanwhile, Salem never let their opponents score on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Resurrection Catholic as they made off with a 21-0 win. Considering the Wildcats have won nine contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Skyler Turnage made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Turnage was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kynleigh Eggan, who scored four runs and stole five bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Those five stolen bases gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ripsy Reid, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3.
Salem is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-10 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.1 runs over those games. As for East Marion, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-9.
Thursday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. East Marion hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .342. However, it's not like Salem struggles in that department as they've averaged .332. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
East Marion suffered a grim 17-11 defeat to Salem in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
