The Plant Panthers will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against the Calvary Christian Warriors at 6:00 p.m. The timing isn't great for Plant: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while Calvary Christian has snatched up four consecutive wins on the road.
On Monday, it was a hard-fought match, but Plant had to settle for a 4-3 loss against Strawberry Crest.
Cassidy Masters was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over 5.2 innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in nine consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Plant saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Addison Swink, who went 2-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base, and an RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Shelise Johnson, who got three hits from her three at bats.
Even though they lost, Plant didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 11 strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Calvary Christian put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Friday. Everything went their way against Lake Mary as Calvary Christian made off with a 9-1 victory. The win was just what Calvary Christian needed coming off of a 12-4 defeat in their prior contest.
Morgen Talley made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). Talley was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Payton Cushman was incredible, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Katie Kapusta, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Plant's loss dropped their record down to 10-10. As for Calvary Christian, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Plant has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Calvary Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Plant came out on top in a nail-biter against Calvary Christian when the teams last played back in March of 2023, sneaking past 3-2. Does Plant have another victory up their sleeve, or will Calvary Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
