The Larkin Royals will take on the Rockford Auburn Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Larkin has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with three straight defeats, while Rockford Auburn will come in with three straight victories.
Last Thursday, Larkin came up short against Ridgewood and fell 6-3. That's two games in a row now that the Royals have lost by exactly three runs.
Julissa Aguinaga was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. Alexia Alonzo also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Rockford Auburn got the win against Lutheran on Friday by a conclusive 14-2. Fans of the Knights have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Maylee Baker made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Those ten strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 4-for-4.
In other batting news, Lily Parr was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. KayKay Hudson was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Rockford Auburn 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 nine hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Rockford Auburn's win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Larkin, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Larkin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rockford Auburn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
