Highland is 9-1 against Jersey since April of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. The Highland Bulldogs will be playing in front of their home fans against the Jersey Panthers at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Highland's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They walked away with a 3-0 victory over Civic Memorial. The win made it back-to-back victories for Highland.
Highland's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Alex Schultz, who went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Jersey, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They had just enough and edged Roxana out 6-4.
Ashlyn Brown made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits (and not a single walk). Brown has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 19 consecutive pitching appearances. Brown was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with an RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maleah Derrick, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Caroline Ward, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Highland now has a winning record of 12-11. As for Jersey, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-14.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Highland has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Jersey struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Highland beat Jersey 5-2 in their previous meeting back in April. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Brown, who struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Highland still be able to contain Brown? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
