Pope John Paul II has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Blue Mountain Eagles on Thursday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Pope John Paul II is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Kennard-Dale 3-2. That's two games straight that Pope John Paul II has won by just one run.
Lexi DiBricida spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on 12 hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in nine consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Pope John Paul II let Rylee Derecola and Abby Simmers loose on the outfield. Derecola went 1-for-3 with a triple, a run, and an RBI, while Simmers scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Simmers is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Molly Houchins, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Blue Mountain had already won 18 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.6 runs), and they went ahead and made it 19 on Monday. They never let the Patriots onto the board and left with a 5-0 victory.
Marla Freiwald made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. Freiwald was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI and a double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Madison Heim, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Pope John Paul II has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a massive bump to their 15-8 record this season. As for Blue Mountain, they pushed their record up to 24-1 with that win, which was their 29th straight at home dating back to last season.
Both the pair just can't seem to miss. Pope John Paul II has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. However, it's not like Blue Mountain struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.3. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
