The American Leadership Academy Patriots will head out to face off against the Wagener-Salley War Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with eight losses in a row, American Leadership Academy turned things around against Heathwood Hall Episcopal on Thursday. They skirted past the Highlanders 5-3.
Ellie Beers spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up nine Ks.
At the plate, Ashleigh Fronden was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Blakely Buol, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Wagener-Salley waltzed into their match on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 15-7 victory. The result was nothing new for the War Eagles, who have now won seven games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Kylee Hooker made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and five unearned) runs off eight hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Makenley Walling, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Another player making a difference was Sasha Harris, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Wagener-Salley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.7 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 9.
American Leadership Academy's record is now 6-17-1. As for Wagener-Salley, the win got them back to even at 9-9.
American Leadership Academy took their victory against Wagener-Salley in their previous meeting back in February by a conclusive 13-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
