The Belleville West Maroons will square off against the Mt. Vernon Rams at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Belleville West can't be too worried about heading out to take on Mt. Vernon: they just beat Freeburg at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. The Maroons came out on top against the Midgets by a score of 9-4 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Maroons.
Kara Kramer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Kramer was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, Ella Weaver was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI. Sophia Knyff also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Belleville West was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .438. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Freeburg only posted a batting average of .167.
Meanwhile, Mt. Vernon hadn't done well against Triad recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Rams walked away with a 7-4 victory over the Knights.
Taylor DeSmith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on seven hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Allie Sweeten, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and one double. Lexxi Howard was another key player, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Belleville West's record now sits at 13-11. As for Mt. Vernon, their record is now 16-5.
