Jersey hasn't had much luck against Highland recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Panthers will head out to take on the Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Jersey has three straight victories, Highland has 16 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Jersey had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Triad on Wednesday. The Panthers blew past the Knights 9-2.
Paxton Weirich spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ellie Davis, who fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-3. What's more, she posted two runs, the most she's had since back in April. Another player making a difference was Holly Brainerd, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Jersey lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Highland came up short against Belleville West on Wednesday, falling 20-6.
Highland saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kaitlyn Wilson, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and four RBI. Addison Short was another, going 1-for-2 with one run and one double.
Jersey's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-12-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Highland, their loss dropped their record down to 4-21.
Jersey skirted past Highland 2-1 when the teams last played back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
