After three games on the road, Hardaway is heading back home. They will host the Columbus Blue Devils at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hardaway is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Kendrick onto the board and left with a 24-0 win on Tuesday. While the Hawks didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Daisia Crutchfield made a splash no matter where she played. She tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Crutchfield was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing five bases while going 2-for-2. She has been hot recently, having posted four or more stolen bases the last three times she's played.
In other batting news, Hardaway got a massive performance out of Taylor Jordan, who scored two runs and stole seven bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Jordan also hit a double, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kamiya Whittlesey, who scored three runs and stole four bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Hardaway was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .778. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .400 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, Columbus made sure to put some runs up on the board against Sumter County on Tuesday. Everything went Columbus' way against Sumter County as Columbus made off with a 16-0 victory. That looming 16-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Blue Devils yet this season.
Columbus got a massive performance out of Maya Bagsby, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Emmie Jones, who went 2-for-2 with a triple, two RBI, and a run.
Hardaway's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-3. As for Columbus, their victory bumped their record up to 8-2.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Hardaway hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Columbus struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hardaway might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Columbus in their previous meeting back in September of 2021. Can Hardaway avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
