The Destin Sharks will head out on the road to face off against the Arnold Marlins at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Destin's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three matchups.
Destin will bounce into Thursday's game after beating Freeport, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Sharks blew past the Bulldogs 11-1 on Tuesday. The Sharks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six contests by six runs or more this season.
Aspen Benscoter spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Anita Palmer, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Julian Forrest, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Destin lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post two or more home runs.
Meanwhile, Arnold waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Blue Devils with a sharp 8-1 win. The Marlins not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since March 23rd (when they won 21-1).
Arnold also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Ryleigh Pittman gave up only one earned run on four hits.
On the hitting side, Alexys Shewmaker was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run. Callie Le was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs.
Arnold's record is now 11-7. As for Destin, they now have a winning record of 10-9.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Destin hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Arnold 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.
Destin skirted past Arnold 12-11 when the teams last played back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Sharks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
