The Novato Hornets will head out on the road to face off against the Tamalpais Red Tailed Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Novato can't be too worried about heading out to take on Tamalpais: they just beat Healdsburg at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. The Hornets blew past the Greyhounds 15-2 on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Hornets in their matchups with the Greyhounds: they've now won four in a row.
Isabelle Rykov made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, she posted two strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Novato got a massive performance out of Georgiana Castro, who went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and two doubles. That's the most hits Castro has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Jacinda Wright, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one stolen base.
Novato was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .567. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, while Tamalpais put up plenty of runs on Wednesday, the same can't be said for Terra Linda. The Red Tailed Hawks were the clear victors by a 17-0 margin over the Trojans. The Red Tailed Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by seven runs or more this season.
Like Novato, Tamalpais also got a great game from a two-way player: Eden Clark. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Clark has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three RBI.
In other batting news, Ava Lee was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Melissa Ferrety also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Tamalpais pushed their record up to 9-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Novato, their record now sits at 5-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Novato has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Tamalpais struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Novato suffered a grim 7-0 defeat to Tamalpais in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Hornets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
