A feisty cat fight will be fought as Trinity Christian Lions take on Hermleigh Cardinals at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Trinity Christian is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 19 runs on Friday, they were much more limited against Fort Worth Christian on Saturday. They fell just short of the Cardinals by a score of 2-1.
Emily Karr was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Hermleigh had already won 11 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.2 runs) and they went ahead and made it 12 on Friday. Everything went their way against the Titans as they made off with a 25-8 victory. Considering the Cardinals have won nine matches by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Peyton Miller made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in walks (zero). She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Syreah Callaway was incredible, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, two stolen bases, and four RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Hallie Ellerbe, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Hermleigh always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .711. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Hermleigh's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.1 runs on average over those games. As for Trinity Christian, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-7-1 record this season.
Tuesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Trinity Christian has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .478. However, it's not like Hermleigh struggles in that department as they've averaged .557. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Trinity Christian came out on top in a nail-biter against Hermleigh in their previous matchup back in March of 2023, sneaking past 5-3. Does Trinity Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hermleigh turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.