Mt. Rainier hasn't had much luck against Kentwood recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Rams will challenge the Conquerors at 4:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Mt. Rainier has three straight wins, Kentwood has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Mt. Rainier will bounce into Thursday's match after beating Kennedy Catholic, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Rams came out on top against the Lancers by a score of 8-3 on Tuesday.
Kadence Avila Petitt was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out eight batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Avila Petitt was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Sydney Young looked comfortable as she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Vienna Valeri, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabbi Hammock, who went 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Kentwood came up short against Auburn Riverside on Tuesday, falling 12-1.
Kentwood saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sofia Mottern Salinas, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Ell Sakai was another, getting on base in both of her plate appearances with two stolen bases.
Kentwood's loss dropped their record down to 3-10. As for Mt. Rainier, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
Mt. Rainier's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. The Rams have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Kentwood, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Mt. Rainier continue to outrun the ball?
Mt. Rainier was able to grind out a solid victory over Kentwood in their previous matchup back in April, winning 13-10. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
