The Heritage Hills Patriots will take on the South Spencer Rebels at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Heritage Hills came out on top against Forest Park on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run sixth inning. The Patriots put the hurt on the Rangers with a sharp 8-2 victory.
Mia Kiegel made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mayci Litherland, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Emma Fischer, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one run.
Heritage Hills always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .541. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Forest Park only posted an OBP of .286.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for South Spencer, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They were the clear victors by an 11-5 margin over Washington on Tuesday. With that win, the Rebels brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Ruthee Clark was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexis Harris, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and three runs.
South Spencer's victory bumped their record up to 5-7. As for Heritage Hills, their win bumped their record up to 17-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Heritage Hills hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like South Spencer struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Everything went Heritage Hills' way against South Spencer in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Heritage Hills made off with a 14-0 victory. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Rebels have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
