The Elyria Catholic Panthers will face off against the McKinley Red Dragons at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Elyria Catholic is coming into the game hot, having won their last six games.
If Elyria Catholic beats McKinley with seven runs on Tuesday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Panthers came out on top against Perry by a score of 7-2 on Friday.
Paytin Baehr and Nadia Pagan did most of the damage at the plate: Baehr went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while Pagan went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI Pagan has posted over her last 12 contests. Another player making a difference was Alyssa Winter, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask McKinley). They were the clear victors by a 30-6 margin over Lutheran West on Thursday. With that win, the Red Dragons brought their scoring average up to 6.7 runs per game.
Julie Burke made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all six of her plate appearances with five RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mia Myers, who went 5-for-6 with one home run, seven RBI, and four runs. Abigail Noland was another key player, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and two RBI.
McKinley hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are 2-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Elyria Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 22-4. As for McKinley, their win bumped their record up to 9-14.
McKinley's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Elyria Catholic has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.5 hits per game. It's a different story for McKinley, though, as they've been averaging 8.7 hits. Given Elyria Catholic's sizable advantage in that area, the Red Dragons will need to find a way to close that gap. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
