Gillespie has won nine straight games at home, while Sacred Heart-Griffin has won nine straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Miners will welcome the Cyclones at 4:30 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Gillespie 3.7, Sacred Heart-Griffin 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While Gillespie's victory against Staunton wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Miners sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday. The Miners haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Sadie Sholtis made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and five unearned) runs off nine hits (and not a single walk). Sholtis was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Gillian Smith was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Ava Rakers, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.
Meanwhile, Sacred Heart-Griffin owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Jacksonville as they made off with a 6-0 win.
Like Gillespie, Sacred Heart-Griffin also got a great game from a two-way player: Kenzie Wieland. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 16 over 6.2 innings pitched. Wieland has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on McKenna Norris, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in May of 2024. Felicity Keller was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Sacred Heart-Griffin has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Gillespie, their win bumped their record up to 17-6.
Sacred Heart-Griffin's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Gillespie hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .363. It's a different story for Sacred Heart-Griffin, though, as they've only averaged .258. Will they be able to contain Gillespie's hitters?
Gillespie took their victory against Sacred Heart-Griffin in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 16-0 score. Do the Miners have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cyclones turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
