The Coolidge Bears will head out on the road to square off against the American Leadership Academy - Ironwood Warriors at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Coolidge took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 6-1 win over Benjamin Franklin.
Kimora Burnham made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. Burnham was also big at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three doubles and an RBI.
In other batting news, Coolidge let Destiny Joaquin and Mia Ruiz loose on the outfield. Joaquin went 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, and an RBI, while Ruiz scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Tasha Juan, who went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, American Leadership Academy - Ironwood waltzed into their game on Wednesday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They won by a run and slipped past the Crusaders 4-3.
Shawnacy Serrano spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on seven hits and racked up 15 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Samantha Campano was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3. Emma Gonzales was another key contributor, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with a stolen base.
Coolidge's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-9. As for American Leadership Academy - Ironwood, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 11-8 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Coolidge has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 11.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like American Leadership Academy - Ironwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.1. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Coolidge skirted past American Leadership Academy - Ironwood 7-5 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Coolidge since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
