The Eastern Comets will head out on the road to take on the Elwood Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Eastern will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
Eastern is headed into the match fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Sheridan on Thursday as Eastern made off with an 18-2 win. With that victory, Eastern brought their scoring average up to 7.2 runs per game.
Kenzie Degraaff made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits (and only one walk). Degraaff has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Degraaff was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Emillia Andrews was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Katie Hendricks, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, a run, and a double.
Meanwhile, Elwood entered their game against Blackford on Thursday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Elwood suffered a rough 23-6 loss at the hands of Blackford.
Elwood saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kenlee Noland, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
The win got Eastern back to even at 4-4. As for Elwood, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 1-4.
Elwood's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Eastern has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11 hits per game. It's a different story for Elwood, though, as they've been averaging 10.4. Given Eastern's sizable advantage in that area, Elwood will need to find a way to close that gap.
Eastern skirted past Elwood 6-4 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Elwood's Olivia Shannon, who struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. Now that she won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Eastern to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
