The Shorewood Stormrays will head out to take on the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Shorewood had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 12-run drubbing they dealt Lynnwood on Friday. The Stormrays blew past the Royals 13-1. The win continues a trend for the Stormrays in their matchups with the Royals: they've now won three in a row.
Emma Kellum and Emily Scott made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Kellum pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Meanwhile, Scott pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At the plate, Kellum scored a run while going 1-for-3, while Scott scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Alyssa Carver was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Charlotte Copacino was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Murphy hadn't done well against Meadowdale recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Wildcats put the hurt on the Mavericks with a sharp 17-7 victory. That's two games straight that the Wildcats have won by exactly ten runs.
The team relied heavily on Sarah Fletcher, who fired off three home runs, five runs, and five RBI while going 5-for-6. Another player making a difference was Markella Vick, who went 2-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and one double.
Archbishop Murphy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .542. The last time their OBP was this high was back in May of 2024.
Archbishop Murphy is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Shorewood, their victory was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 7-4.
Monday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Shorewood hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .346. However, it's not like Archbishop Murphy struggles in that department as they've averaged .409. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Shorewood couldn't quite finish off Archbishop Murphy in their previous meeting last Wednesday and fell 4-2. Can the Stormrays avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
