Licking Valley has won four straight games at home, while Highland has won four straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Wednesday. The Panthers will welcome the Fighting Scots at 5:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Wednesday.
Licking Valley's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Bishop Ready with a sharp 14-0 victory. Considering the Panthers have won 14 contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Emory Whisner was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 14 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Dani Lambert was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in April. Tori Baughman was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs.
Licking Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in eight consecutive games.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Highland rose to the challenge on Thursday. Everything went their way against the Red Raiders as they made off with a 14-2 win.
Lydia Shaffer spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Highland got a massive performance out of Saylor Squires, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Braylin Romshak, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Licking Valley's victory bumped their record up to 20-4. As for Highland, their win bumped their record up to 15-9.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Licking Valley hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Licking Valley came up short against Highland in their previous meeting back in March, falling 9-4. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
