After three games on the road, Highland is heading back home. They will take on the Andrean Fighting 59ers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Highland put the finishing touches on their third blowout victory of the season on Monday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Hammond Morton a 20-0 shutout.
Samantha Zurlis was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (she also only allowed one walk). Zurlis has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single hit every time she's pitched this season. Zurlis was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base.
In other batting news, Evie Rivera and Casey DiSanto did most of the damage at the plate: Rivera scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-1, while DiSanto scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Erica Phillips, who scored two runs and stole a base.
Meanwhile, Andrean waltzed into their contest on Monday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They came out on top against the Red Devils by a score of 6-2.
Like Highland, Andrean also got a great game from a two-way player: Abbey Bond. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). Bond was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and a double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Micah Snider, who scored a run and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. Gracie Wardingley was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Highland's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-2. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 20.7 runs. As for Andrean, their victory bumped their record up to 11-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Highland has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Andrean struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.3. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Highland came up short against Andrean in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, falling 4-1. Can Highland avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
