After two games on the road, Apex is heading back home. They will take on the Apex Friendship Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Apex narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past New Bern 4-3.
Alyssa Kaufman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Anamie Whittlesey, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last six games she's played. Leah Kendall was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Apex Friendship put the finishing touches on their eighth blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They never let Green Hope onto the board and left with a 15-0 win. The victory was familiar territory for Apex Friendship who now have four in a row.
Maura Schwanke looked comfortable as she tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Apex Friendship let Cheyenne Christman and Lauren Archambault loose on the outfield. Christman went 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Archambault scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Makenzie Spero, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
Apex has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. As for Apex Friendship, they pushed their record up to 12-2 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Apex's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's contest. Apex has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.6 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Apex Friendship, though, as they've been averaging only 1. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Apex continue to outrun the ball?
Apex came out on top in a nail-biter against Apex Friendship in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 3-1. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Apex Friendship's Brianna Spero, who pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Apex still be able to contain Spero? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
