The Auburn Bulldogs will square off against the Mercy Monarchs at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Auburn is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.
Auburn is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 13 runs on Saturday, they were much more limited against Westview on Tuesday. They fell just short of Westview by a score of 3-1. The Bulldogs have struggled against the recently, as their game on Tuesday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Gretchen Paschal spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Auburn saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Addison Darnell, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Mercy narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Omaha Central 10-9.
Kayla Kratz was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up six earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in hits. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 4-for-5.
In other batting news, Mercy let Lily Podany and Cloe King loose on the outfield. Podany scored three runs while going 4-for-5, while King went 4-for-5 with three RBI and a double. The dominant performance also gave Podany a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Alexis Neufind, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.
Mercy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .575. That's a new trend for them: their average OBP was 34.5% earlier this season, but in their last five matchups they've averaged 44%.
The defeat snapped Auburn's winning streak at four games and leaves them with a 15-6 record. As for Mercy, their record is now 6-16.
Mercy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Auburn has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Mercy, though, as they've been averaging 8.9. Given Auburn's sizable advantage in that area, Mercy will need to find a way to close that gap.
Auburn came out on top in a nail-biter against Mercy when the teams last played back in September of 2023, sneaking past 1-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Auburn since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
