The Leavitt Hornets will face off against the Erskine Academy Eagles on Thursday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Last Tuesday, Leavitt needed a bit of extra time to put away Nokomis. They won by a run and slipped past the Warriors 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Hornets have posted since May 12th.
Hailey Cyr spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on eight hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, Ashlyn Holbrook was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Leah Johnson, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and Erskine Academy had no trouble coming through when it counted. They had just enough and edged out Poland 6-5 on Tuesday. That's two games straight that the Eagles have won by just one run.
Erskine Academy also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Kelsie Dunn gave up four earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits. Dunn has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Erskine Academy let Lillian Clark and Kammie Thompson run wild. Clark went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI, while Thompson got on base in two of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Kylie Bellows also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Erskine Academy pushed their record up to 9-8 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of one runs across that stretch. As for Leavitt, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-3.
Everything went Leavitt's way against Erskine Academy in their previous meeting last Monday, as Leavitt made off with an 8-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hornets since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
