Palmer is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Troy is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Bulldogs will welcome the Trojans at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Palmer is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last five times Palmer and Scurry-Rosser have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Thursday. The Bulldogs came out on top against the Wildcats by a score of 5-2.
Samantha Maddox was incredible, going 1-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. That home run was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Corie Caldwell, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, Troy's rock-solid pitchers showed up for the team's fifth consecutive shutout last Friday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand McGregor an 11-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won 18 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Isabella Garcia made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 15 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in February.
In other batting news, Troy let Melanie Zapata and Jae Jae Phillips run wild. Zapata went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI, while Phillips went 2-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Phillips has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played.
Troy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as McGregor only managed five hits.
Troy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 15 of their last 16 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for Palmer, their victory bumped their record up to 12-13-1.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Palmer hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. However, it's not like Troy struggles in that department as they've averaged .383. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Palmer might still be hurting after the 13-0 loss they got from Troy in their previous matchup back in April of 2022. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
