Fairbanks hasn't had much luck against North Union recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Panthers will take on the Wildcats in a tournament on Friday. Fairbanks is coming into the game hot, having won their last six games.
Fairbanks' pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They came out on top against Johnstown-Monroe by a score of 3-0.
Not much got past Macy Kise, who gave up just four hits to keep Johnstown-Monroe off the board. Kise has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Jenna Dee was incredible, going 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, North Union rose to the challenge on Monday. They put the hurt on the Golden Knights with a sharp 13-0 win. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by six runs or more this season.
Leah Cox made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over 6.2 innings pitched. Cox was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Kennedy Harrah was a standout: she went 4-for-5 with five RBI, three runs, and two doubles. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kale Keigley, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with four runs and two stolen bases.
North Union always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .558. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northmor only posted an OBP of .375.
The victory got North Union back to even at 12-12. As for Fairbanks, their win bumped their record up to 21-2.
North Union's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Fairbanks has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for North Union, though, as they've been averaging only 3.6 strikeouts. Will Fairbanks keep running through batters, or will the Wildcats buck the trend?
Fairbanks couldn't quite get it done against North Union in their previous matchup back in April of 2016 as they fell 7-2. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
