The Juan Diego Catholic Soaring Eagle will head out to face off against the Murray Spartans at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Murray will be up against a hot Juan Diego Catholic team: the squad just extended their winning streak to seven. The Soaring Eagle's pitcher stepped up to hand Park City a 15-0 shutout two weeks ago.
Juan Diego Catholic let Mattie Montoya and Payton Volk run wild. Montoya went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Volk went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Volk a new career-high. Emilia Lopez also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Juan Diego Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .450. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .375 or higher in ten consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Murray made easy work of Jordan on Monday and carried off a 16-3 victory. The win continues a trend for the Spartans in their matchups with the Beetdiggers: they've now won seven in a row.
Summer Stewart was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game.
In other batting news, Zaylee Winterhalder and Maddie Bigelow did most of the damage at the plate: Winterhalder went 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs, while Bigelow went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Bigelow is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kimberlie Bauer, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Juan Diego Catholic's record is now 12-3. As for Murray, their record now sits at 10-4.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Juan Diego Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .457. However, it's not like Murray struggles in that department as they've averaged .485. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Juan Diego Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Murray when the teams last played back in March, winning 16-11. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Soaring Eagle since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
