The Stringer Red Devils will face off against the Salem Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Stringer is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand French Camp Academy an 11-0 shutout. The victory was familiar territory for the Red Devils, who have now won ten games in a row.
The team relied heavily on Kayleigh Douglas, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Brylee Townsend, who went 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Salem won against West Bolivar on Friday with 17 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Saturday. The Wildcats didn't even let the Eagles on the board, marking the Wildcats' second-straight 17-0 shutout. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Wildcats.
Alleigh Lightell and Rylea Piper made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Lightell pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Piper struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). What's more, Lightell posted two strikeouts, the most she's had over her last two matches. At bat, Lightell went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI, while Piper went a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Salem got a massive performance out of Preslea Bobb, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most hits Bobb has posted over her last 11 contests. Another player making a difference was Kenley Stewart, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base.
Salem always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .957. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Salem pushed their record up to 16-11 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Stringer, their win bumped their record up to 17-3-2.
Stringer took their victory against Salem when the teams last played back in April of 2019 by a conclusive 8-1 score. Will the Red Devils repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
