The Jasper Vikings will head out to face off against the Calera Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Jasper is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak.
Winfield hit Jasper with a six-run fifth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Vikings fell just short of the Pirates by a score of 10-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Vikings have suffered since February 27th.
Emersyn Haney and Lexi Kilgore stepped up to the plate in a big way. Haney went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Kilgore went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was America Montgomery, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Calera never got on the board in their matchup on Monday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against McAdory on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Yellowjackets 10-8. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Eagles' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Lily Townsend made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching seven innings while giving up just two earned (and six unearned) runs off ten hits. Townsend was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kinley Rodgers and Isabelle Overton did most of the damage at the plate: Rodgers went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Overton went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and one double. That's the most runs Overton has posted since back in February. Neeley Carstensen was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three RBI.
Calera's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-18. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.8 runs over those games. As for Jasper, their loss dropped their record down to 18-13.
Jasper took their win against Calera in their previous meeting back in March of 2019 by a conclusive 11-1 score. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
