The Elkhart Lions will take on the Northridge Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Elkhart will be strutting in after a win while Northridge will be coming in after a defeat.
Elkhart is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They put the hurt on Concord with a sharp 13-5 victory. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won nine matches by seven runs or more so far this season.
Laci Stimac made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits. Stimac was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Addison Reid was a standout: she got on base in three of her five plate appearances with three runs. Ambria Leedy was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Elkhart hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least two batters in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Northridge fell victim to Carroll and their airtight pitching crew on Saturday. They came up short against the Chargers, falling 7-0. The Raiders have struggled against the Chargers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Elkhart is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-12 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.1 runs on average over those games. As for Northridge, their loss dropped their record down to 13-10.
Northridge's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Elkhart has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Northridge, though, as they've been averaging 9 hits. Given Elkhart's sizable advantage in that area, the Raiders will need to find a way to close that gap.
Elkhart took their victory against Northridge in their previous matchup on May 10th by a conclusive 12-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
