The East Aurora Blue Devils are taking a road trip to face off against the Griffith Institute Griffins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
East Aurora took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Franklinville 11-10.
Sage Rozanski made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Rozanski was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, East Aurora got a massive performance out of Jackie Wright, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. That triple was Wright's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Tessa Fowler, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Meanwhile, Griffith Institute waltzed into their match on Thursday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They put the hurt on the Golden Eagles with a sharp 20-2 win. The result was nothing new for the Griffins, who have now won eight contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Like East Aurora, Griffith Institute also got a great game from a two-way player: Loghan Sticht. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Sticht was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Mia Rogers was a standout: she went 3-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Makayla Heary was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Griffith Institute always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .548. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
East Aurora is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Griffith Institute, their record is now 10-3.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. East Aurora hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .412. However, it's not like Griffith Institute struggles in that department as they've averaged .378. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
East Aurora came out on top in a nail-biter against Griffith Institute when the teams last played last Wednesday, sneaking past 10-9. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Devils since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
