The Maplewood Rockets will venture away from home to take on the St. John Fighting Herald at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Maplewood will come into the match with an undefeated record on the line.
Maplewood made up a huge gap compared to their last game against United, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Rockets blew past the Golden Eagles 16-1 on Saturday. The Rockets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by six runs or more this season.
Addison Marker made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5. That stolen base marked the first that she snagged this season.
In other batting news, Raegan Krieg was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. What's more, she posted three RBI, the most she's had since back in April of 2024. Hayley Flinner also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Maplewood was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .360 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. John, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Bristol last Friday, sneaking past 6-4.
Like Maplewood, St. John also got a great game from a two-way player: Isabelle Holler. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off 11 hits. Holler was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gianna Torres, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one triple. Caitlyn Carney was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one double.
Maplewood pushed their record up to 8-0 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for St. John, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
St. John's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Maplewood has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. It's a different story for St. John, though, as they've been averaging 12.3 hits. Given Maplewood's sizable advantage in that area, the Fighting Herald will need to find a way to close that gap.
Maplewood was able to grind out a solid victory over St. John in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, winning 11-6. Do the Rockets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Fighting Herald turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
