Elizabeth faced Cherokee Trail in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Cardinals narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Cougars 7-5. This was payback for the Cardinals, who suffered a 7-5 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Aurelia Espinoza spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and four unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Allie Dey was incredible, firing off two home runs, two stolen bases, and three runs while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted since back in September of 2024. Another player making a difference was Grace Carlson, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two runs.
Elizabeth's win bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Cherokee Trail, they moved to 3-2 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak.
Looking ahead, Elizabeth will venture away from home to square off against Palmer Ridge at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The Bears will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last. As for Cherokee Trail, they will head out on the road to take on Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Cougars' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Wolverines have averaged an impressive 6.1 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
