R-S Central is on a four-game streak of home wins, while West Lincoln is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Hilltoppers will host the Rebels at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, R-S Central got the win against Hendersonville by a conclusive 13-1. The Hilltoppers haven't had any issues with the Bearcats recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Maeli Crain made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Lillie Beheler was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Alexis Nanney was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
West Lincoln never got on the board in their matchup on Tuesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against East Burke last Friday. They put the hurt on the Cavaliers with a sharp 13-3 victory.
Like R-S Central, West Lincoln also got a great game from a two-way player: Gabrielle Wright. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts Wright has posted since back in February. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, West Lincoln let Kaitlyn Carpenter and Stacia Cowan run wild. Carpenter scored two runs while going 3-for-4, while Cowan scored three runs while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaylin Pardo, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
West Lincoln hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are 7-2 when they post two or more strikeouts.
West Lincoln has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for R-S Central, their victory bumped their record up to 13-3.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. R-S Central hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .371. However, it's not like West Lincoln struggles in that department as they've averaged .353. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
R-S Central was able to grind out a solid win over West Lincoln in their previous matchup back in May of 2022, winning 5-1. Do the Hilltoppers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rebels turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
