The Hill-Murray Pioneers will face off against the Tartan Titans at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Hill-Murray is coming into the contest on a six-game losing streak.
Wednesday just wasn't the day for Hill-Murray's offense. They lost 11-0 to Hastings on Wednesday. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Pioneers' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Hill-Murray saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jocelyn Drikakis, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Meanwhile, Tartan can bid farewell to their 12-game losing streak thanks to their game on Wednesday. They blew past Simley 8-2. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last seven times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Leah Borgwardt was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. Borgwardt was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Sydney Fearing and River Ambourn did most of the damage at the plate: Fearing went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one RBI, while Ambourn went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most runs Fearing has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexis Radanke, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Tartan kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive matches.
Hill-Murray's loss dropped their record down to 7-9. As for Tartan, they picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 2-13.
Tartan's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Hill-Murray has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Tartan, though, as they've been averaging only 2.7 strikeouts. Will Hill-Murray keep running through batters, or will the Titans buck the trend?
Hill-Murray was able to grind out a solid win over Tartan in their previous meeting back in April, winning 8-5. Do the Pioneers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Titans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
