Meridian is a perfect 3-0 against Sacred Heart since February of 2024 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Wildcats will be playing at home against the Crusaders at 6:30 p.m. The timing isn't great for Meridian: they have been struggling with five straight losses at home, while Sacred Heart has snatched up eight consecutive wins on the road.
Having struggled with five losses in a row, Meridian turned things around against Quitman on Saturday. They blew past the Panthers 15-4.
Meridian got a great performance from Sherriah Grace as she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. What's more, Grace posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in April of 2024.
Taylor Ruffin
| 04/12/25 @ Quitman | 4 |
| 03/21/25 @ Cleveland Central | 5 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Taylor Ruffin, who scored four runs while going 4-for-4. That's the most hits she has posted over her last two matchups. Another player making a difference was Alaysia Barlow, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Sacred Heart beat Forrest County Agricultural 13-9 on Friday.
Kensie Baugh made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up just one earned (and eight unearned) runs off seven hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run and four RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
In other batting news, Sacred Heart got a massive performance out of Caroline Sellers, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Jana Phillips was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one triple.
Sacred Heart is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Meridian, their win bumped their record up to 8-16.
Meridian came out on top in a nail-biter against Sacred Heart when the teams last played back in February, sneaking past 10-8. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Crusaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
