After two games on the road, St. John Paul II is heading back home. They will take on the Hamilton County Trojans at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. St. John Paul II is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 10.3 runs per game this season.
St. John Paul II is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 12 runs last Tuesday, they were much more limited against Madison County on Wednesday. Their tough 8-1 loss to the Cowboys might stick with them for a while.
Amanda Thompson put in work no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up five earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Thompson has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive pitching appearances. Thompson was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a home run and a stolen base.
Thompson wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Mary Steed, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
Meanwhile, Hamilton County entered their tilt with Raines with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Everything went their way against the Vikings on Thursday as they made off with a 19-2 win. That looming 19-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Hamilton County yet this season.
Like St. John Paul II, Hamilton County also got a great game from a two-way player: Emily Peacock. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Peacock was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Anna Morgan was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. Ralynn Moody was another key contributor, scoring three runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
St. John Paul II's defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 13-3. As for Hamilton County, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 6-12 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. St. John Paul II 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 Hamilton County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
St. John Paul II suffered a grim 13-7 defeat to Hamilton County in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Can St. John Paul II 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
