The Utica Chieftains will take on the L'Anse Creuse North Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Utica easily dispatched Stoney Creek on Saturday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Chieftains fell just short of St. Clair by a score of 3-1 on Tuesday. The Chieftains haven't had much luck with the Saints recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Utica saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Violet Smith, who went 1-for-3 with one run.
Meanwhile, L'Anse Creuse North waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Ramblers by a score of 6-1.
L'Anse Creuse North also got a great performance from Autumn Vardon as she didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. Vardon has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kenzie Brohl, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Hailee Lane, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, one stolen base, and one run.
Utica's loss dropped their record down to 10-13. As for L'Anse Creuse North, their win bumped their record up to 22-7.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Utica hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .332. However, it's not like L'Anse Creuse North struggles in that department as they've averaged .325. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
