The Grant Cougars will venture away from home to take on the Natchitoches Central Chiefs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Grant is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
Tuesday just wasn't the day for Grant's offense. They lost 10-0 to West Ouachita on Tuesday. The Cougars haven't had much luck with the Chiefs recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Peyton Kirtland spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and nine unearned) runs on ten hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Even though they lost, Grant hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Natchitoches Central won against Evangel Christian Academy on Tuesday with 13 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. Natchitoches Central beat Byrd by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 13-3. Considering the Chiefs have won eight matches by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Sydney Terrell made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. Terrell was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. That home run was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Maggie Massia and Morgan Robinson did most of the damage at the plate: Massia scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Robinson got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. The dominant performance also gave Massia a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Ehren Guidroz, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
The victory made it two in a row for Natchitoches Central and bumps their season record up to 8-14. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 12 hits in those games compared to only 5.15 in the others. As for Grant, their loss dropped their record down to 11-9.
Natchitoches Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Grant has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .436. It's a different story for Natchitoches Central, though, as they've only averaged .358. Will they be able to contain Grant's hitters?
Grant was able to grind out a solid win over Natchitoches Central in their previous matchup on Friday, winning 8-4. Does Grant have another victory up their sleeve, or will Natchitoches Central turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
