Livingston hasn't had much luck against Ripon recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Wolves will take on the Indians at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Livingston is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Venture Academy with a sharp 11-3 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Wolves considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
The team relied heavily on Elizabeth Avila, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Isabella Zazueta was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs.
Ripon came out on top against Woodland Christian on Wednesday thanks in part to the team's impressive nine-run sixth inning. The Indians were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Cardinals. Winning may never get old, but the Indians sure are getting used to it with their 12th in a row.
Angelina Martinez made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Izabelle Spurzem was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Addison Naranjo, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two doubles.
Ripon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .440. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
Ripon pushed their record up to 19-7 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for Livingston, they have been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-8 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Livingston hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Ripon 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.
Everything went Livingston's way against Ripon in their previous matchup back in March, as Livingston made off with a 16-6 victory. Do the Wolves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Indians turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
