South Putnam is 2-8 against North Putnam since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Eagles will face off against the Cougars at 12:30 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (South Putnam 2.9, North Putnam 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
South Putnam will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs last Wednesday, then bounced right back against Parke Heritage last Thursday. The Eagles blew past the Wolves 13-2. Considering the Eagles have won nine contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Alyssa Pingleton made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Pingleton was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Elliana Cox, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Danae Cline was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
South Putnam always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Parke Heritage only posted an OBP of .316.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 11 runs the game before, North Putnam was a bit more limited in their game on Friday. They fell just short of Edgewood by a score of 3-2. The Cougars haven't had much luck with the Mustangs recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Tori Detro spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on four hits and racked up 14 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, North Putnam saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Camryn Riggle, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
South Putnam pushed their record up to 14-5 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for North Putnam, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-7.
North Putnam's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: South Putnam has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .490. It's a different story for North Putnam, though, as they've only averaged .352. Will they be able to contain South Putnam's hitters? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
