Steele is 1-9 against East Central since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Knights will look to defend their home field against the Hornets at 6:00 p.m. Steele is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Steele is returning to their home field after beating Clemens on theirs, despite the fact Clemens has dominated at home this season. The Knights had just enough and edged out the Buffaloes 4-3 on Tuesday. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Buffaloes recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Mia Perez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Steele saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Autumn Schaffer, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run. That triple was Schaffer's first of the season.
Meanwhile, East Central made easy work of Judson on Tuesday and carried off an 18-3 win. The result was nothing new for the Hornets, who have now won 13 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Avery West looked comfortable as she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Jamilyn Hart and Jenise Ramirez did most of the damage at the plate: Hart went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI, while Ramirez went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most hits Hart has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Marissa Delgado, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
East Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .654. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
East Central's victory bumped their record up to 25-4. As for Steele, their win bumped their record up to 19-7-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Steele hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like East Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Steele couldn't quite finish off East Central in their previous meeting back in March and fell 13-11. Will the Knights have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
