The Chaparral Bobcats will head out on the road to face off against the Waco Lions at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, Chaparral made easy work of Ellison and carried off a 14-3 win. With that victory, the Bobcats brought their scoring average up to 6.1 runs per game.
Madison Edwards made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits (and only one walk). Edwards was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. What's more, she posted two doubles, the most she's had since back in February.
In other batting news, Chaparral got a massive performance out of Mikayla Hudson, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Another player making a difference was Lex Rivas Estiamba, who scored three runs and stole four bases while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Waco hadn't done well against Ellison recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Lions put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 10-4 win. The Lions not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since February 28th.
Chloe Nava spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on five hits and racked up 13 Ks. Those 13 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ilena Ramire, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Alayna Gutierrez was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Waco's victory ended a ten-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 4-8-1. As for Chaparral, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-10.
Waco's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Chaparral hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .353. It's a different story for Waco, though, as they've only averaged .234. Will they be able to contain Chaparral's hitters?
Everything went Chaparral's way against Waco in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Chaparral made off with an 11-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bobcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.