The New Oxford Colonials are taking a road trip to challenge the Littlestown Thunderbolts at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
New Oxford is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on William Penn with a sharp 18-1 win on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Ava Wilke made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maddie Hicks, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. That triple was her first of the season. Miranda Leatherman was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
New Oxford was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .556. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Littlestown, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They never let York Catholic get on the board and left with a 16-0 win on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Thunderbolts in their matchups with the Fighting Irish: they've now won four in a row.
Maddy Dubbert looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Hannah Barthel was incredible, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexis Stonesifer, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
Littlestown's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for New Oxford, their record now sits at 4-2.
Friday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. New Oxford has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .447. However, it's not like Littlestown struggles in that department as they've averaged .494. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
New Oxford took their win against Littlestown in their previous meeting back in April of 2019 by a conclusive 20-3. Will New Oxford repeat their success, or does Littlestown has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
