The New Palestine Dragons will square off against the Beech Grove Hornets at 10:00 a.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
If New Palestine beats Beech Grove with ten runs on Monday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Dragons didn't even let Connersville on the board on Saturday, marking the Dragons' second-straight 10-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Dragons, who have now won 14 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Not much got past Sadey Hughbanks, who gave up just three hits to keep Connersville off the board. Hughbanks has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Callie Cromwell was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Amber Hurt, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
New Palestine was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Connersville only posted a batting average of .150.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Beech Grove ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They walked away with a 10-7 victory over Trinity Lutheran.
The team relied heavily on Mylee Boling, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Addison Corn, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double.
New Palestine's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Beech Grove, their win bumped their record up to 12-13-1.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. New Palestine hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .375. However, it's not like Beech Grove struggles in that department as they've averaged .312. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
New Palestine took their victory against Beech Grove in their previous meeting back in May of 2019 by a conclusive 21-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Dragons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
