New Smyrna Beach is 0-10 against Spruce Creek since April of 2015 but things could change on Monday. The Barracudas will head out on the road to challenge the Hawks at 6:30 p.m. New Smyrna Beach has given up an average of 12.4 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
New Smyrna Beach is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 17 runs on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Bishop Moore on Thursday. They lost 13-2 to the Hornets.
Jaclyn Betti was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
Spruce Creek never got on the board in their matchup on Tuesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Flagler Palm Coast on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Bulldogs with a sharp 13-3 win. With that victory, the Hawks brought their scoring average up to 6.3 runs per game.
Reese Cianciarulo was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Cianciarulo was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Erin Bozeman looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.
Back at the plate, Alexis Minaberry was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Helms, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Spruce Creek lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Spruce Creek has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for New Smyrna Beach, their loss dropped their record down to 2-11.
New Smyrna Beach might still be hurting after the 14-0 defeat they got from Spruce Creek in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Barracudas avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
