The Lodi Flames will square off against the Pleasant Grove Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lodi is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Turlock 11-2. The win was familiar territory for Lodi who now have five in a row.
Hannah Escalante tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Lodi got a big performance out of Janie Schallberger, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Tealla Rivera, who scored three runs while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Grove came tearing into Tuesday's game with 11 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.9 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Lions onto the board and left with a 12-0 victory.
Alexa Lewis tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Marley Escobar, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Lindsay Paredes was another key contributor, scoring three runs while going 2-for-2.
Lodi's win was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-6. As for Pleasant Grove, their victory bumped their record up to 18-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lodi has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pleasant Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lodi suffered a grim 8-0 defeat to Pleasant Grove in their previous matchup back in March of 2015. Can Lodi avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
