Newport - Bellevue hasn't had much luck against Woodinville recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Knights will head out on the road to face off against the Falcons at 6:30 p.m. Newport - Bellevue has given up an average of 9.2 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
North Creek hit Newport - Bellevue with a four-run fifth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Knights came up short against the Jaguars, falling 11-4.
Lauren Blank was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Emma Chen also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, Woodinville had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it nine on Monday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 4-3 W against the Vikings.
Hayden Kneeland spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jane Ford, who went 1-for-2 with one home run. Maya Young was another key player, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Woodinville's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Newport - Bellevue, their loss dropped their record down to 9-8.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Newport - Bellevue hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Woodinville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Newport - Bellevue might still be hurting after the 16-9 defeat they got from Woodinville when the teams last played on April 2nd. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
