The Whitney Wildcats will venture away from home to face off against the Oak Ridge Trojans at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Whitney 3.1, Oak Ridge 1.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Whitney is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of California's top teams: Rocklin, who was ranked 11th at the time (Whitney was ranked 24th). The Wildcats took a 7-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Thunder on Friday. The Wildcats' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Whitney saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emma Rabe, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Tylie Kitchen was another, scoring a run while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Oak Ridge put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Folsom a 7-0 shutout. The Trojans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by six runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to Ellison Schroeder's shutout, as she gave up just three hits and racked up 15 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Carmen Montes De Oca was a standout: she scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Brooklyn Paratore, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Oak Ridge kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in five consecutive games.
Oak Ridge's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-0. As for Whitney, their loss dropped their record down to 9-5.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Whitney hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .342. However, it's not like Oak Ridge struggles in that department as they've averaged .337. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Whitney might still be hurting after the 8-2 defeat they got from Oak Ridge in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
