The Jacksonville Cardinals will head out on the road to face off against the New Bern Bears at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Jacksonville scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 24-3 margin over Northside - Jacksonville. With that win, Jacksonville brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Lauren Weston was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits (and not a single walk). Weston has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Weston was also stellar in the batter's box, going 5-for-5 with a home run, three RBI, and two doubles.
In other batting news, Jacksonville got a massive performance out of Brittney Weaver, who went 4-for-5 with seven RBI, two runs, and a double. Kendall Kellum was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with four runs, a triple, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, New Bern gave their fans yet another huge victory on Friday. They put the hurt on Riverside-Durham with a sharp 9-2 win. The victory was familiar territory for New Bern who now have five in a row.
Like Jacksonville, New Bern also got a great game from a two-way player: Molly McGuire. She struck out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits (and only one walk). McGuire was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 5-for-5.
In other batting news, Ki?mya Sutton was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Makenzie Richardson, who scored two runs while getting on base in two of her five plate appearances.
The win was the third in a row for Jacksonville, bringing their record for this year to 5-7. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs per game. As for New Bern, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-2.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Jacksonville hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. However, it's not like New Bern struggles in that department as they've averaged .315. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Jacksonville couldn't quite finish off New Bern in their previous meeting back in March and fell 5-3. Can Jacksonville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
