Western is 7-1 against West Lafayette since May of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Western Panthers will be staying on the road to face off against the West Lafayette Red Devils at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Western is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against North Montgomery as Western made off with a 13-1 victory.
Kylie Miller spent all five innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on zero hits and racked up 14 Ks.
On the hitting side, Jocelyn Jeffers was incredible, firing off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-3. Brynley Erb was another key contributor, scoring two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, West Lafayette got themselves on the board against Northwestern on Tuesday, but Northwestern never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 10-0 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for West Lafayette.
Izzy Ascarelli made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Ascarelli has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. Ascarelli was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Adrianne Tolen, who went 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Dani Rawles, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Western's record now sits at 24-2. As for West Lafayette, their record is now 16-8.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Western has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .475. However, it's not like West Lafayette struggles in that department as they've averaged .447. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Western beat West Lafayette 3-0 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Rawles, who struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits (and not a single walk). Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Western still be able to contain Rawles? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
