The Imagine Prep Storm will head out to challenge the Heritage Academy Heroes at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Imagine Prep was handed a 18-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Ridgeline Academy 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Storm have posted since April 8, 2024.
Meanwhile, Heritage Academy put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Imagine Prep Coolidge 22-3. The result was nothing new for the Heroes, who have now won nine matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.
Elsie Earll made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
In other batting news, Heritage Academy got a massive performance out of Sarahi Rico, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. Emily Person was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Heritage Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .686. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .553 or higher in six consecutive games.
Heritage Academy's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 21.0 runs over those games. As for Imagine Prep, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Imagine Prep suffered a grim 19-1 defeat to Heritage Academy in their previous meeting on Wednesday. Can the Storm avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
