Meridian had lost four straight at home, but on Thursday they dropped down to 9-10 to make it five. They lost 12-1 to the Petal Panthers. That's two games in a row now that the Wildcats have lost by exactly 11 runs.
As for Petal, they are on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 14 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.9 runs on average over those games.
For Petal's part, Jaley Weathersby tossed a big game, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Weathersby has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Aniya Richardson, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Layla Brock was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming matchups. Meridian will venture away from home to face off against Russell Christian Academy at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. As for Petal, they will head out to take on Northwest Rankin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Panthers 4, the Cougars 3.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
