Slippery Rock has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the New Castle Hurricanes at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Slippery Rock will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Grove City, who they hadn't topped in nine consecutive meetings. Slippery Rock had just enough and edged Grove City out 10-9.
Mia Sosa made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over eight innings while giving up just one earned (and eight unearned) runs off 13 hits (and only one walk). Sosa has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Sosa was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Savannah Smith, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Lyla Runtas, who scored two runs while going 1-for-5.
Meanwhile, New Castle's hitters rose to the challenge against a Greyhounds pitching crew that boasted an average of only 2.07 runs allowed on Tuesday. New Castle put the hurt on Wilmington with a sharp 10-3 victory. That looming 10-3 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for New Castle yet this season.
Like Slippery Rock, New Castle also got a great game from a two-way player: Olivia Hood. She struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). Hood was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Keara Mangieri was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. Gabby Mangieri was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Slippery Rock has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-9 record this season. As for New Castle, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Slippery Rock has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like New Castle struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.2. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Slippery Rock came out on top in a nail-biter against New Castle in their previous meeting back in April of 2015, sneaking past 4-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Slippery Rock since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
