Beecher is 4-0 against Wilmington since March of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Beecher Bobcats are on the road again to play the Wilmington Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Wilmington's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Friday: Beecher had not allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. Beecher's pitcher stepped up to hand Grace Christian Academy an 11-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Taylor Norkus was a major factor no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Norkus has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 11 consecutive pitching appearances. Norkus was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Makenzie Johnson was incredible, firing off two home runs, three runs, and a double while going 3-for-3. Abby Papas was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.
Meanwhile, Wilmington had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Cardinals with a sharp 15-3 win.
Wilmington also got a great performance from Lexi Strohm as she didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out seven over 4.1 innings pitched.
At the plate, Molly Southall was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base. Another player making a difference was Taylor Stefancic, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs and a triple.
Beecher pushed their record up to 25-1 with that victory, which was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Wilmington, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Beecher hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .450. However, it's not like Wilmington struggles in that department as they've averaged .398. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Beecher's way against Wilmington when the teams last played back in April of 2023 as Beecher made off with an 11-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Beecher since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
