Folsom hasn't had much luck against Oak Ridge recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Bulldogs will square off against the Trojans at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Folsom is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 win over Monterey Trail. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Mustangs recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Folsom got a great performance from Erica Bennett as she tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off nine hits. Bennett has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Folsom's win was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Shay Sacay, who went 2-for-3 with two runs. Devyn Huber also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Oak Ridge). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Stagg an 18-0 shutout on Wednesday. Considering the Trojans have won 11 contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ellison Schroeder tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over five innings pitched.
At the plate, Emery Glaser was incredible, firing off two home runs, two stolen bases, and five RBI while going 3-for-4. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Carmen Montes De Oca, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Oak Ridge kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Stagg only managed one hit.
Oak Ridge is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.9 runs over those games. As for Folsom, the win got them back to even at 12-12-2.
Folsom might still be hurting after the 7-0 defeat they got from Oak Ridge when the teams last played last Wednesday. Can the Bulldogs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
