The Whitehall Zephyrs will challenge the Nazareth Area Blue Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Whitehall 3.1, Nazareth Area 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Nazareth Area will be up against a hot Whitehall squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Everything went the Zephyrs' way against Allentown Central Catholic on Wednesday as they made off with a 12-1 win. Considering the Zephyrs have won four contests by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Morgan Laub was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Laub was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Whitehall got a big performance out of Alyssa Dunbar, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1. Dunbar also brought in two RBI, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Nya Brown, who went 1-for-2 with three RBI and one double.
Whitehall always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Nazareth Area earned a 6-2 victory over Northampton on Monday.
Avery Kauffman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits and racked up 13 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Gianna Perillo was a standout: she went 1-for-2 with one home run. Shauna McNamee was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run.
Nazareth Area's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average this season. As for Whitehall, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Whitehall hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Nazareth Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
