The Freeman Scotties will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Asotin Panthers at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Freeman will come into the matchup with an undefeated record on the line.
Last Wednesday, Freeman made easy work of Medical Lake and carried off a 12-1 win. The Scotties might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by seven runs or more this season.
Kaylee Ripke made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Rilyn Ripke, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. She also hit a triple, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Paige Lochmiller, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Freeman hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Asotin duked it out with Colton on Thursday. Asotin lost 15-4 to Colton.
Jayne Crockett made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Freeman's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-0. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 20.0 runs over those games. As for Asotin, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Asotin's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Freeman has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.8 hits per game. It's a different story for Asotin, though, as they've been averaging 16.3 hits. Given Freeman's sizable advantage in that area, Asotin will need to find a way to close that gap.
Freeman took their victory against Asotin when the teams last played on Tuesday by a conclusive 24-3. Does Freeman have another victory up their sleeve, or will Asotin turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
