Palisade has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will venture away from home to face off against the Fruita Monument Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Palisade is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Palisade lost 13-2 to Niwot on Saturday.
Palisade saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jamyson Mancuso, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Fruita Monument came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.9 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Red Hawks onto the board and left with a 15-0 win. Considering the Wildcats have won eight matches by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Teagan Clements made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and seven RBI while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Lacie Rodabaugh was incredible, going 1-for-1 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Angelina Fortunato, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Fruita Monument lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 0 home runs per game earlier this season, but in their last five games they've averaged 1.
Palisade dropped their record down to 13-6 with the loss, which was their third straight at home. As for Fruita Monument, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season.
Wednesday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Palisade has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of 0. However, it's not like Fruita Monument struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Palisade came out on top in a nail-biter against Fruita Monument in their previous meeting back in September, sneaking past 13-12. The rematch might be a little tougher for Palisade since the team 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
