Luella is 9-0 against Mt. Zion since September of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Luella Lions will face off against the Mt. Zion Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. Luella knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past seven matches -- so hopefully Mt. Zion likes a good challenge.
Last Tuesday, Luella got the win against Cedar Grove by a conclusive 19-1. Considering the Lions have won nine matchups by more than 14 runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Zaena Harris made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Luella got a massive performance out of Ayleen Montoya, who scored three runs and stole four bases while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances. Montoya is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last seven games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Kennedy Reliford, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and a triple.
Meanwhile, Mt. Zion lost 20-3 to Riverdale on Tuesday.
Haley Howell made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Even though they lost, Mt. Zion hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most two strikeouts in three consecutive contests.
Luella's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-4. As for Mt. Zion, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Luella hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Mt. Zion struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Luella took their win against Mt. Zion in their previous matchup on September 3rd by a conclusive 21-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Luella since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
