The Shorewood Stormrays will square off against the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
On Wednesday, Shorewood was able to grind out a solid win over Shorecrest, taking the game 10-5.
Ellie Van Horn made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was her first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lillian Perreault, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Charlotte Copacino, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Shorewood was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Shorecrest only posted a batting average of .258.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Murphy never let their opponents score on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Cascade Christian 2-0. The two-run effort marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Not much got past Saylah Lopez, who gave up just three hits to keep Cascade Christian off the board.
On the hitting side, Markella Vick was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Archbishop Murphy's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Shorewood, their win bumped their record up to 8-4.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Shorewood hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .353. However, it's not like Archbishop Murphy struggles in that department as they've averaged .387. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Shorewood couldn't quite finish off Archbishop Murphy when the teams last played two weeks ago and fell 4-2. Can the Stormrays avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
