The New Palestine Dragons are on the road again on Saturday to play the Avon Orioles at 12:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
New Palestine is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Cathedral 12-1. New Palestine's victory was all the more impressive since Cathedral was averaging only 2.73 runs allowed on the season.
New Palestine got a great performance from Courtney Study as she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Study has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Allie Blum, who fired off two home runs and three runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Paige Ernstes was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBI.
Meanwhile, Avon came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.4 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Royals with a sharp 10-2 win. Avon's victory was all the more impressive since Roncalli was averaging only 3.36 runs allowed on the season.
Madeline Herman was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Herman was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Avon let Lilly Heath and Hannah Sutton loose on the outfield. Heath went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple, while Sutton went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Jaylee Fansler, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
New Palestine's win bumped their record up to 24-4. As for Avon, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 19-9 record this season.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both team's pitchers. New Palestine hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .383. However, it's not like Avon struggles in that department as they've averaged .362. 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
