The Menomonee Falls Phoenix will venture away from home to square off against the Homestead Highlanders at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Menomonee Falls was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Wauwatosa West on Thursday. The Phoenix never let the Trojans get on the board and left with a 21-0 win. With that victory, the Phoenix brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Ally Bichler and Natalie Jarrett made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Bichler struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Jarrett tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances. At bat, Bichler went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, one triple, and one run, while Jarrett went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Those two RBI gave Jarrett a new career-high.
In other batting news, Alex Selear and Hailey Meinholz did most of the damage at the plate: Selear got on base in three of her five plate appearances with four runs, three RBI, and one double, while Meinholz got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Those three RBI gave Meinholz a new career-high. Riann Coles was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Menomonee Falls always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .675. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Homestead and Whitefish Bay have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Monday. The Highlanders put the hurt on the Blue Dukes with a sharp 17-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Highlanders, who have now won six games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Brooklyn Wirth made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Wirth was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Stella Leaman, who fired off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Shea Leopold, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
Menomonee Falls is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-15 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Homestead, their record is now 12-7.
Both Menomonee Falls and Homestead just can't seem to miss. The Phoenix have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Homestead struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
