The Air Academy Kadets's homestand will continue as they prepare to take on the Widefield Gladiators at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Air Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Air Academy came up short against Palmer Ridge on Wednesday, falling 13-3.
Air Academy saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bailey Williams, who went 1-for-1 with a double. Williams has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
Meanwhile, Widefield came tearing into Saturday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Eagles 18-11. Considering the Gladiators have won seven matchups by more than six runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
The team relied heavily on Isabella Monk, who fired off two home runs, seven RBI, and three runs while going 4-for-5. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in home runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooke Foster, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a double.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Widefield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .575. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're OBP total in five consecutive contests.
Air Academy has traveled a rocky road recently having lost nine of their last ten games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-12 record this season. As for Widefield, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Air Academy hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Widefield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Air Academy took their win against Widefield when the teams last played back in August of 2023 by a conclusive 10-3. Does Air Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Widefield turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
