After two games on the road, North Pole is heading back home. They will take on the Lathrop Malemutes at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
North Pole is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Hutchison, who was ranked 22nd in their home state at the time (North Pole was ranked 18th). North Pole was the clear victor by a 14-8 margin over Hutchison on Tuesday.
The team relied heavily on Danika Dawley, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Trinity Smith, who scored four runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Lathrop waltzed into their contest on Thursday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. Everything went their way against the Patriots as they made off with a 13-1 win.
Peyton Hamilton made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Hamilton has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one hit in five consecutive pitching appearances. Hamilton was even better at the plate, going 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
Hamilton wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Isla Holm, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Kaylee Himes was another key contributor, scoring two runs.
North Pole's victory bumped their record up to 7-16-1. As for Lathrop, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a massive bump to their 9-6-1 record this season.
Wednesday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. North Pole has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .462. However, it's not like Lathrop struggles in that department as they've averaged .541. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
North Pole suffered a grim 13-1 defeat to Lathrop when the teams last played on Thursday. Can North Pole avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
