The London Red Raiders will square off against the Fairbanks Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as London comes in on eight and Fairbanks on 13.
If London beats Fairbanks with 11 runs on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Red Raiders didn't even let Urbana on the board on Wednesday, marking the Red Raiders' second-straight 11-0 shutout. The Red Raiders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 contests by six runs or more this season.
Sophie Alt was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Alt was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bella Peterman, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, four RBI, and one run. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Khloe Spencer was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, while Fairbanks put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Northeastern. The Panthers were the clear victors by a 16-0 margin over the Jets. Considering the Panthers have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Fairbanks got a massive performance out of Jenna Dee, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Macy Kise also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Fairbanks hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters every time they've taken the field this season.
Fairbanks pushed their record up to 14-1 with the win, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.1 runs over those games. As for London, their record now sits at 14-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. London hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Fairbanks struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
London might still be hurting after the 9-2 loss they got from Fairbanks when the teams last played back in April of 2017. Can the Red Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
