The McLean Highlanders will square off against the Wakefield Warriors at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. McLean's pitching crew has only allowed 0.6 runs per game this season, so Wakefield's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
McLean is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Virginia's top teams: Langley, who was ranked 24th at the time (McLean was ranked 13th). The Highlanders fell just short of the Saxons by a score of 1-0 on Friday. The game marked the first time this year in which the Highlanders were not able to get on the board.
Meanwhile, Wakefield was not the first on the board on Friday, but they got there more often. They put the hurt on Washington-Liberty with a sharp 17-1 win. With that victory, the Warriors brought their scoring average up to 6.9 runs per game.
Regan Hughes and Juliet Milder made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Hughes tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Milder tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Hughes has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Hughes went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, while Milder went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. That's the most hits Hughes has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Wakefield got a massive performance out of Kira Zoeller, who went 3-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and one double. Those three RBI gave Zoeller a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lucy Strawn, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
Wakefield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .564. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Having lost for the first time this season, McLean fell to 13-1. As for Wakefield, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-5.
McLean took their victory against Wakefield in their previous matchup back in April by a conclusive 10-0 score. Do the Highlanders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Warriors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
