The Hammonton Blue Devils will square off against the Holy Spirit Spartans at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hammonton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
Hammonton's last matchup with Cherokee could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's match on Thursday. The Blue Devils lost 11-4 to the Chiefs. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Blue Devils, who until this contest were averaging 3.3 runs allowed.
Gracie Ravenkamp
| 04/17/25 vs Cherokee | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Washington Township | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Buena | 0 |
Gracie Ravenkamp put in work no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one double.
In other batting news, Alexis Vellucci and Leah Alexander did some serious damage despite the final result: Vellucci went 2-for-4 with one triple and one run, while Alexander went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That triple marked the first that Vellucci has hit this season.
Meanwhile, Holy Spirit had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Wednesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 12-11 W against the Villagers. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Spartans have posted since March 28th.
The team relied heavily on Jazlynn Santiago, who went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two doubles.
Holy Spirit's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Hammonton, the loss snapped their winning streak at four games and leaves them with a 8-2 record.
Hammonton took their win against Holy Spirit when the teams last played back in May of 2021 by a conclusive 16-0 score. Do the Blue Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Spartans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
