The Raleigh Lions will take on the Mize Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Raleigh is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They came out on top against Bogue Chitto by a score of 9-6. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lions.
Kallee McWilliams was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched seven innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. McWilliams was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Haylee Buffington was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Lydia Bryant was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Raleigh was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bogue Chitto only posted a batting average of .241.
Mize came out on top against Scott Central on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive eight-run second inning. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by a 15-5 margin over the Rebels. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matchups by ten runs or more this season.
AK Easterling and Lila Gordon did most of the damage at the plate: Easterling went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Gordon got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI Easterling has posted since back in March. Kate Sullivan also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Mize has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-10 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Raleigh, their record now sits at 12-17-1.
Raleigh suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to Mize in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
