The Wickliffe Blue Devils will square off against the LaBrae Vikings at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Wickliffe 3.2, LaBrae 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Wickliffe's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Thursday's struggle, when West Geauga hitters got past them. The Blue Devils fell just short of the Wolverines by a score of 10-9 on Thursday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Maddie Kita and Mackayla Gazdak stepped up to the plate in a big way. Kita went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Gazdak went 2-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Maddie Prosuch, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, LaBrae came tearing into Thursday's contest with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Eagles as they made off with an 11-2 win. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by seven runs or more this season.
Leah DeArmitt made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Riley Rowe, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and one double. She is on a roll when it comes to home runs, as she's now launched at least one in each of the last six games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Shelby Bragg, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
LaBrae's victory was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Wickliffe, their loss dropped their record down to 7-4.
Friday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Wickliffe hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .422. However, it's not like LaBrae struggles in that department as they've averaged .392. 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.
