Niles West is 5-0 against Maine East since May of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Niles West Wolves will be playing at home against the Maine East Blue Demons at 4:45 p.m. Niles West is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Niles West took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They came out on top against Leyden by a score of 8-3.
Penny Hutchinson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Ava Hester was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. Amaya Joyce was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, sadly, Maine East is still looking for their first win of the season after 12 matchups. They fell just short of Niles North by a score of 3-2 on Tuesday.
Zoe Kakares made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Even though they lost, Maine East didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 15 strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Niles West's victory bumped their record up to 5-7. As for Maine East, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Niles West has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Maine East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Niles West's way against Maine East when the teams last played on April 9th as Niles West made off with a 13-1 win. Will Niles West repeat their success, or does Maine East have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
