The Absegami Braves will square off against the St. Joseph Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Absegami lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Middle Township, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's game. The Braves' pitchers stepped up to hand the Panthers a 7-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Braves' victory was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
Absegami's win was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kali Jorgensen, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Another was Yaceana Scriven, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. Joseph, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over Ocean City on Tuesday. The Wildcats haven't had any issues with the Raiders recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Elaina Portalatin was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Madisyn Powell and Alaina Dorsey did most of the damage at the plate: Powell scored a run while going 1-for-3, while Dorsey scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Kaylin Marshall also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
St. Joseph's win bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Absegami, their victory bumped their record up to 4-0.
St. Joseph's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Absegami hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .342. It's a different story for St. Joseph, though, as they've only averaged .184. Will they be able to contain Absegami's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
