The Orchard Park Quakers will challenge the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Spartans at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Orchard Park is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Everything went their way against Webster Thomas as they made off with an 11-4 victory. The win was familiar territory for the Quakers, who have now won four contests in a row.
Orchard Park got a massive performance out of Lainey Babich, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Madeline McDermott was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
Orchard Park hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake entered their tilt with Whitesboro on Sunday with five consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with six. They never let the Warriors get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Spartans considering their two-run performance the game before.
The result came thanks to Ava Yahoudy's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 14 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 14 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Lilly Morse was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Bailey Dinon, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Orchard Park's win bumped their record up to 18-4. As for Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, their victory bumped their record up to 16-4.
Orchard Park's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's contest. The Quakers have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, though, as they've been averaging only 1.4 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Orchard Park continue to outrun the ball? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
