Burlington has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will take on the Santa Fe Trail Chargers at 4:30 p.m. in Tuesday's first game. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Burlington: 2.3, Santa Fe Trail: 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
In Thursday's second game, Burlington faced Humboldt in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Burlington came out on top against Humboldt by a score of 7-3. That's two games straight that Burlington has won by exactly four runs.
Grace Birk made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Birk has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. Birk was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Hannah Sides was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2. Another player making a difference was Emma Thomsen, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe Trail waltzed into their matchup in Thursday's second game with three straight wins... but they left with four. They blew past the Cyclones 12-2. Considering Santa Fe Trail has won seven games by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Burlington, Santa Fe Trail also got a great game from a two-way player: Gretchen Huizenga. On the mound, she tossed six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits (she also only allowed one walk). Huizenga was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three runs.
In other batting news, Brooke Neidhardt was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three runs, three doubles, and four RBI. Addalyn Sleichter was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Burlington's record now sits at 8-2. As for Santa Fe Trail, they pushed their record up to 10-2 with that victory, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart in Tuesday's first game as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Burlington has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 14.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Santa Fe Trail struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Burlington came out on top in a nail-biter against Santa Fe Trail in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for Burlington 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
