The Richland Royals will square off against the Abilene Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Richland 2, Abilene 3.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Richland is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They never let Centennial get on the board and left with a 2-0 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Royals, who have now won three contests in a row.
Not much got past Stacy Jennings, who gave up just seven hits and racked up nine Ks to keep Centennial off the board. Jennings has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kennedy Parry, who went 2-for-5 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Abilene had just enough and edged out Americas 8-7 on Friday.
Avah Reyes spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and two unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up ten Ks.
At the plate, Alicia Gutierrez was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Mariah Estrada was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Richland's record now sits at 32-4. As for Abilene, their record is now 24-10-1.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Richland has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.6 hits per game. However, it's not like Abilene struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.7 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Richland suffered a grim 13-3 defeat to Abilene when the teams last played back in March of 2020. Can the Royals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
