The Lake Washington Kangaroos will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Juanita Ravens at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lake Washington came tearing into Wednesday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.3 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Highlanders with a sharp 13-1 win.
Ella Nielsen and Christina Minor made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Nielsen struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Meanwhile, Minor tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (she also only allowed one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single walk in three consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Nielsen scored a run while going 1-for-3, while Minor went 3-for-3 with three runs, a triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Lake Washington let Brooke Gardner and Elise Roe loose on the outfield. Gardner got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four RBI, a triple, and a run, while Roe scored three runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Maya Sheth, who scored two runs while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Juanita came tearing into Wednesday's game with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.7 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Saints a 15-0 shutout.
Like Lake Washington, Juanita also got a great game from a pair of two-way players: Molly Venard. On the mound, Venard tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (she also only allowed one walk). Meanwhile, Elliott Parker struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). At bat, Venard scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Parker scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Juanita got a massive performance out of Hailey Story, who went 3-for-3 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Stella Vanos was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.
Lake Washington's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-3. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs per game. As for Juanita, their win bumped their record up to 9-3.
Friday's contest will be a test for both team's pitchers. Lake Washington hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .406. However, it's not like Juanita struggles in that department as they've averaged .440. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lake Washington came up short against Juanita when the teams last played back in May of 2023, falling 11-7. Can Lake Washington avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
