The Harding Knights will venture away from home to challenge the Washburn Millers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Harding's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three matches.
On Thursday, Harding made easy work of Humboldt and carried off a 21-8 victory. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Hawks recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Marcela Deloye-Romero was incredible, firing off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-4. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Cadence Lee was another key player, going 3-for-5 with four runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
Harding was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .469 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Washburn made sure to put some runs up on the board against Park Center on Friday. The Millers came out on top against the Pirates by a score of 11-7.
Addy Ulfers spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and six unearned) runs on one hit and racked up 14 Ks.
At the plate, Washburn let Emalyn Streifel and Ellerie Ulfers run wild. Streifel went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Ulfers went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that Ulfers has snagged this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kelly Lyman, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Harding pushed their record up to 7-6 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 19.6 runs over those games. As for Washburn, their record is now 6-9.
Harding might still be hurting after the 15-5 defeat they got from Washburn when the teams last played back in April of 2017. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
