Brentwood is 0-5 against South Allegheny since April of 2015 but things could change on Monday. The Spartans will take on the Gladiators at 4:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
As a matter of fact, Brentwood put up the most runs they have all season on Thursday. They blew past Ellis 16-1. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Emma Thompson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Brentwood got a massive performance out of Paige Boehm, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, four runs, and two doubles. Those three stolen bases gave Boehm a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Abbey Fickley, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Brentwood was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .458. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .314 or higher in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for South Allegheny, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They never let Shady Side Academy get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory on Friday. Considering the Gladiators have won ten contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Carrera Conley made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). Conley was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double.
In other batting news, South Allegheny let Cameran Colecchi and Cadence McBride run wild. Colecchi went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple, while McBride went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and four RBI. Mika Katchur also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
South Allegheny pushed their record up to 13-2 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Brentwood, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-6 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Brentwood hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like South Allegheny struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Brentwood suffered a grim 16-0 defeat to South Allegheny in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Spartans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.