The Garner Trojans will head out on the road to challenge the Corinth Holders Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Garner's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past South Garner 15-0. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Trojans considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Sam Hawkins was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI and two doubles. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kaitlyn Dean, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3.
Garner always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .692. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
The home team had won the previous five meetings between Corinth Holders and Fuquay - Varina, and Corinth Holders kept the tradition alive. The Pirates were the clear victors by a 16-5 margin over the Bengals on Tuesday.
Elizabeth McKenzie spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Rachel Miura, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-5. Pyper Vardy also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Corinth Holders is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-2 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Garner, their record now sits at 9-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Garner has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Corinth Holders struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Garner might still be hurting after the 17-2 loss they got from Corinth Holders in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Trojans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
