The Solon Comets will square off against the Mayfield Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Solon not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since April 17th (when they won 12-2). They put the hurt on Shaker Heights with a sharp 11-5 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Comets.
Grace Gerhard was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Ali Palsa and Evan Barmen did most of the damage at the plate: Palsa went a perfect 4-for-4 with one stolen base and one run, while Barmen went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those two runs gave Barmen a new career-high. Alyssa Gerome was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Solon kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 5-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mayfield). Everything went their way against Orange on Thursday as they made off with a 17-4 win. With that victory, the Wildcats brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Kameron Sills looked comfortable as she tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
At the plate, Ellena Baghdasaryan was a standout: she went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Migliorini, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
Solon pushed their record up to 7-13 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Mayfield, their win bumped their record up to 7-11.
Mayfield's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Solon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Mayfield, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.1 strikeouts. Will Solon keep running through batters, or will the Wildcats buck the trend?
Solon took their victory against Mayfield in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 17-1 score. Do the Comets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
