The Heritage Patriots will venture away from home to face off against the Whitko Wildcats at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Heritage's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Whitko's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Heritage blew Bluffton out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Friday Bluffton got their revenge. The Patriots fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Patriots have suffered since April 26, 2024.
Abriyah James made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Avi Washington was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Whitko made easy work of Wabash on Wednesday and carried off a 9-1 victory. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matches by seven runs or more this season.
Addie Garr spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up 16 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Whitko let Addison Patrick and Sophie Keener run wild. Patrick went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Keener went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Those two runs gave Patrick a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Long, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
Whitko kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wabash only managed four hits.
Whitko is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Heritage, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 13-8 record this season.
Heritage was able to grind out a solid victory over Whitko when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 8-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
