The Elk Grove Thundering Herd will head out on the road to square off against the Franklin Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Elk Grove will be strutting in after a victory while Franklin will be coming in after a loss.
If Elk Grove beats Franklin with seven runs on Wednesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Everything went Elk Grove's way against Cosumnes Oaks on Friday as Elk Grove made off with a 7-0 win. The Thundering Herd haven't had any issues with the Wolfpack recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Ella Lincoln tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Loie Moore was excellent, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits she has posted since back in May of 2024. Annabel Focht was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Elk Grove hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, after soaring to ten runs the game before, Franklin was a bit more limited in their game on Friday. They fell 4-1 to Sheldon. The matchup marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Franklin saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Julissa Sandoval, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Franklin's defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 9-6-1. As for Elk Grove, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
Franklin's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Elk Grove has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Franklin, though, as they've been averaging 9.2 hits. Given Elk Grove's sizable advantage in that area, Franklin will need to find a way to close that gap.
Elk Grove took their win against Franklin when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 14-4. Will Elk Grove repeat their success, or does Franklin has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
