Sentinel is 10-0 against Flathead since April of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Sentinel Spartans will look to defend their home field against the Flathead Braves/Bravettes at 3:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Sentinel is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Montana's top teams: Big Sky, who was ranked fourth in their home state at the time (Sentinel was ranked 13th). Sentinel fell just short of Big Sky by a score of 21-19 on Tuesday. Sentinel has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Makenna Thorson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in four of her five plate appearances with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Sydney Goldbar, who went 2-for-5 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs.
Meanwhile, Flathead was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They fell 4-1 to Helena.
Macey McIlhargey spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up 33 Ks.
At the plate, Mackenzie Brandt made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with a home run and a stolen base.
Even though they lost, Flathead didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 33 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Helena only tossed 12.
Sentinel's defeat dropped their record down to 6-9. As for Flathead, their loss dropped their record down to 4-11.
Flathead's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Sentinel has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Flathead, though, as they've been averaging 10. Given Sentinel's sizable advantage in that area, Flathead will need to find a way to close that gap.
Sentinel came out on top in a nail-biter against Flathead in their previous meeting last Tuesday, sneaking past 8-7. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Flathead's Olivia Nyman, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Sentinel still be able to contain Nyman? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
