Independence had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They skirted past the Butler Bulldogs 3-1. That's two games straight that Independence has won by exactly two runs.
Maliyah Alexander spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Independence's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Natalie Johnson, who went 2-for-3 with a double.
Independence is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5-1 record this season. As for Butler, their loss ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 17-7.
Independence will be playing at home against Providence at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The last three games Independence has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one. As for Butler, they will head out on the road to challenge Hickory Ridge at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (Hickory Ridge: 3.9, Butler: 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
