The Hayes Pacers will challenge the Westland Cougars at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Hayes is coming into the match hot, having won their last 15 games.
Hayes' pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They walked away with a 4-0 victory over Dublin Scioto.
Dublin Scioto's batters probably weren't too happy with Bronwynn Leighty, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 15 Ks (she gave up a single walk). Leighty has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Zee Brown, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one double and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Laurel Day, who went 1-for-4 with one home run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Westland, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They won by a run and slipped past Westerville South 15-14. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Cougars' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Sophie Harris was incredible, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Abby Cochran was another key player, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with four runs and two doubles.
Westland always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. They are 3-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Hayes pushed their record up to 17-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Westland, their win ended a 15-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 5-16.
Westland's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Hayes has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Westland, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.4 strikeouts. Will Hayes keep running through batters, or will the Cougars buck the trend?
Everything went Hayes' way against Westland in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Hayes made off with a 15-0 victory. Will the Pacers repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
