The George C. Marshall Statesmen will venture away from home to take on the Washington-Liberty Generals at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Washington-Liberty took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on George C. Marshall, who comes in off a win.
Eight must be George C. Marshall's lucky number: they beat Wakefield School with that score not once but twice on Friday. The Statesmen beat the Fighting Owls by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 8-4. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Statesmen.
Helen Kluesener spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Lindsey Manifor and Mikka Christensen did most of the damage at the plate: Manifor went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base, while Christensen went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Julia Schimpff was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: George C. Marshall kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Washington-Liberty was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat. They came up short against McLean, falling 9-0. The game marked the first time this season in which the Generals were not able to get on the board.
Washington-Liberty also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Zoe Schroeder gave up three earned (and six unearned) runs on 11 hits.
The victory got George C. Marshall back to even at 7-7. As for Washington-Liberty, their loss dropped their record down to 3-8.
Washington-Liberty's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: George C. Marshall has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Washington-Liberty, though, as they've been averaging 10.7 hits. Given George C. Marshall's sizable advantage in that area, the Generals will need to find a way to close that gap.
George C. Marshall was able to grind out a solid win over Washington-Liberty when the teams last played back in March, winning 6-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Statesmen since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
