The Strom Thurmond Rebels will square off against the American Leadership Academy Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. American Leadership Academy took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Strom Thurmond, who comes in off a win.
On Tuesday, Strom Thurmond needed a bit of extra time to put away North Augusta. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Yellow Jackets, sneaking past 9-8. The victory was some much needed relief for the Rebels as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Addyson Harrison was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Leigh Anne Strock was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, American Leadership Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch last Wednesday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost an 11-10 heartbreaker at the hands of Batesburg-Leesville. Even though they lost, the Patriots' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.2 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Ellie Beers spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and nine unearned) runs on 11 hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Ashleigh Fronden made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Brennan Wilson, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with one home run and two RBI.
Strom Thurmond pushed their record up to 10-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for American Leadership Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-14-1.
Strom Thurmond came out on top in a nail-biter against American Leadership Academy in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 14-13. Will the Rebels repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
