The Van Vandals will venture away from home to face off against the Spring Hill Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Van's pitching crew has only allowed 2.3 runs per game this season, so Spring Hill's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Van came out on top against Brook Hill on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run fourth inning. The Vandals walked away with a 6-3 win over the Guard. The victory continues a trend for the Vandals in their matchups with the Guard: they've now won three in a row.
Meanwhile, while Spring Hill put up plenty of runs on Friday, the same can't be said for Chapel Hill. The Panthers were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over the Bulldogs. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 14 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Lila Peters was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Peters was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run and three RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more RBI the last four times she's played.
In other batting news, Aubreigh Whiddon was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and one triple. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brylee Duckworth, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Spring Hill was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .680. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive games.
Van's record is now 25-5-2. As for Spring Hill, their record now sits at 27-7.
Van came out on top in a nail-biter against Spring Hill when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. Will the Vandals repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
