White Pine is 0-10 against Needles since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The White Pine Bobcats will be staying on the road to face off against the Needles Mustangs at 2:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
White Pine is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Everything went their way against Pershing County as White Pine made off with a 16-5 win. The high-scoring effort was just what White Pine needed considering they were shutout in their previous game.
Kasadie Britton looked comfortable as she tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, White Pine got a massive performance out of Kenna Brunson, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Camden Johnson, who went 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs.
Meanwhile, Needles had already won 20 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.9 runs), and they went ahead and made it 21 on Thursday. They beat the Lions by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 15-0. Give Needles' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's fourth straight shutout.
Jaelyn Garcia was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Garcia was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emmerson Powell, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Peyton Jackson, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
White Pine is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-11-1 record this season. As for Needles, their victory bumped their record up to 26-4.
Friday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. White Pine has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .441. However, it's not like Needles struggles in that department as they've averaged .523. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
White Pine might still be hurting after the 15-0 loss they got from Needles in their previous meeting on Saturday. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Garcia, who kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Now that White Pine knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
