The Beech Grove Hornets will challenge the New Palestine Dragons at 10:00 a.m. on Monday. Beech Grove is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
On Friday, Beech Grove needed a bit of extra time to put away Trinity Lutheran. They came out on top against the Cougars by a score of 10-7.
Mylee Boling was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Addison Corn, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double.
Meanwhile, New Palestine got themselves on the board against Connersville on Saturday, but Connersville never followed suit. They didn't even let the Spartans on the board, marking their second-straight 10-0 shutout. Considering the Dragons have won 14 games by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Not much got past Sadey Hughbanks, who gave up just three hits to keep Connersville off the board. Hughbanks has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Callie Cromwell, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Cat Trebley was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
New Palestine was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Connersville only posted a batting average of .150.
New Palestine's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Beech Grove, their record is now 12-13-1.
Beech Grove's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's matchup. The Hornets have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for New Palestine, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Beech Grove continue to outrun the ball?
Beech Grove might still be hurting after the 21-1 loss they got from New Palestine when the teams last played back in May of 2019. Can the Hornets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
