The Schlarman Hilltoppers will head out on the road to square off against the Heritage Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Schlarman will come in still looking for their first win of the season.
Schlarman lost 15-4 to Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin on Monday.
Irene Rangel was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits (and only one walk). Rangel has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive pitching appearances. Rangel was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Rangel wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Deana Linares, who scored a run while going 1-for-4. Linares has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive pitching appearances.
Meanwhile, Heritage came into Wednesday's contest having lost 24 straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. Everything went their way against Arcola on Wednesday as Heritage made off with a 14-5 victory. Heritage's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Schlarman, Heritage also got a great game from a two-way player: Courtney Sanford. She pitched seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Sanford was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Faith Latham, who scored four runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-5. Another player making a difference was Isabella Reed, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.
Schlarman's record is now 0-10. As for Heritage, their win ended a 14-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-15.
Heritage's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Schlarman has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Heritage, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3. Will Schlarman keep running through batters, or will Heritage buck the trend?
Everything went Schlarman's way against Heritage when the teams last played back in May of 2019 as Schlarman made off with a 13-0 victory. Does Schlarman have another victory up their sleeve, or will Heritage turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
