The Eastern View Cyclones will venture away from home to challenge the Chancellor Chargers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Eastern View has five straight wins, Chancellor has 30 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Eastern View is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on James Monroe with a sharp 16-2 victory on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Cailin Rendell made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That double was her first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sara Hopper, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Kierstyn Harris, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.
Eastern View always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .583 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Chancellor lost 17-1 to Spotsylvania on Tuesday.
Eastern View's victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Chancellor, their loss dropped their record down to 0-11.
Chancellor's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Eastern View has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 13 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Chancellor, though, as they've been averaging only 1.7 strikeouts. Will Eastern View keep running through batters, or will the Chargers buck the trend?
Eastern View took their victory against Chancellor when the teams last played on April 8th by a conclusive 12-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cyclones since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
