The Saline Hornets will head out to square off against the Dexter Dreadnaughts at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Saline's pitching crew has only allowed 1.9 runs per game this season, so Dexter's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Saline is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Michigan's top teams: Grass Lake, who was ranked 15th at the time (Saline was ranked 18th). The Hornets put the hurt on the Warriors with a sharp 7-1 victory on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Hornets, who have now won 12 matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Zosia Mazur made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run.
In other pitching news, Abby Curtis looked comfortable as she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Mazur wasn't the only one making solid contact as nine players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Reese Rupert, who went 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Gracie Waldrop was another, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Saline kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Grass Lake only managed five.
Meanwhile, Dexter didn't have quite enough to beat Trenton on Wednesday and fell 7-6.
Saline has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-6-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Dexter, their loss dropped their record down to 6-8.
Saline got the 'W' when the teams last played on May 11th against Dexter by a conclusive 13-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hornets since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
