The Harding Skippers will venture away from home to face off against the Independence Blue Devils at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Harding has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with four straight losses, while Independence will come in with six straight victories.
Harding lost 14-2 to Pymatuning Valley on Wednesday.
Harding saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Natalie Phillips, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Brooklyn Reglus also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, Independence's rock-solid pitcher showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Friday. They never let Brooklyn get on the board and left with a 19-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Blue Devils, who have now won nine contests by ten runs or more so far this season.
Rabecca Gibson made a splash no matter where she played. She tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Paige Priebe, who fired off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-2. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Mia Whieldon, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Independence always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .829. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Independence's victory was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Harding, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-15.
Harding suffered a grim 21-0 defeat to Independence when the teams last played back in April of 2019. Can the Skippers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
