The Mercy McAuley Wolves will head out on the road to challenge the Reading Blue Devils at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Mercy McAuley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
On Saturday, Mercy McAuley came up short against Anderson and fell 8-4.
Mercy McAuley saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Callie Elmer, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Reading, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. Everything went their way against Clark Montessori on Wednesday as they made off with a 15-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Blue Devils, who have now won 11 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Hailey Mowell was a standout: she fired off three triples, five RBI, and one run while going 4-for-4. Those three triples gave her a new career-high. Brooke Androne was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Reading was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .571. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .323 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Reading is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Mercy McAuley, they now have a losing record of 11-12.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Mercy McAuley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .342. However, it's not like Reading struggles in that department as they've averaged .398. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mercy McAuley took their win against Reading when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 19-5 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wolves since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
