The Independence Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Browne Bruins at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Independence barely beat Copper Canyon the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Independence was the clear victor by a 21-4 margin over Copper Canyon on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Aztecs: they've now won three in a row.
Meanwhile, Browne came tearing into Thursday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 13-1 win. That's two games straight that the Bruins have won by exactly 12 runs.
Shyla Vasquez was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over four innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (three).
In other batting news, Dania Duran was a standout: she scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Seilah Sauceda, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Browne kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive games.
Browne's victory was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.4 runs over those games. As for Independence, their record now sits at 5-0.
Independence suffered a grim 22-15 defeat to Browne when the teams last played back in April of 2016. Can Independence avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
