The Sultana Sultans will challenge the West Ranch Wildcats at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Sultana sitting on three straight victories and West Ranch on six.
Sultana is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Loyola 6-5. That's two games straight that the Sultans have won by just one run.
Sultana saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alex Gamez, who went 2-for-4 with one run.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Sultana kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, while West Ranch put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Crean Lutheran. The Wildcats put the hurt on the Saints with a sharp 12-0 win. West Ranch's victory was all the more impressive since the Saints were averaging only 3.84 runs allowed on the season.
Matthew Castrellon looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, West Ranch got a massive performance out of Connor Clayton, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI. Those three runs gave Clayton a new career-high. Landon Hu was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double.
West Ranch's win was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-9. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for Sultana, their record is now 23-3-1.
Friday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Sultana hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .320. However, it's not like West Ranch struggles in that department as they've averaged .343. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
