The Apex Cougars will head out on the road to square off against the Apex Friendship Patriots at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Apex is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, it was a hard-fought game, but Apex had to settle for a 6-5 defeat against Panther Creek.
Alyssa Kaufman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on 11 hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single walk in seven consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Leah Kendall was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Analiza Whittlesey was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Apex Friendship put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against Green Hope as Apex Friendship made off with a 20-2 win. Considering Apex Friendship has won four contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Brianna Spero made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit (she also didn't allow any walks). Spero was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Avery Kiger was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four runs, two triples, and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Makenzie Spero, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2.
Apex's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-3. As for Apex Friendship, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-0.
Apex beat Apex Friendship 5-1 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Apex since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
