The Royal Oak Ravens will square off against the Utica Chieftains at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Royal Oak has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Utica will arrive with three straight wins.
Notre Dame Prep hit Royal Oak with a ten-run fifth inning last Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Ravens came up short against the Fighting Irish, falling 13-3.
Royal Oak saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alyssa Rozycki, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, Utica got themselves on the board against Algonac on Wednesday, but Algonac never followed suit. They blew past the Muskrats 9-0. The result was nothing new for the Chieftains, who have now won ten matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Utica got a massive performance out of Kylie Condon, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Those four hits gave Condon a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Violet Smith, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Utica kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Algonac only managed four.
Utica's victory bumped their record up to 14-15. As for Royal Oak, their loss dropped their record down to 10-15-1.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Royal Oak hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .343. However, it's not like Utica struggles in that department as they've averaged .337. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
