Garinger hasn't had much luck against Independence recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Wildcats will head out on the road to take on the Patriots at 4:00 p.m. Garinger has given up an average of 19.5 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Garinger came up short against East Mecklenburg on Tuesday, falling 18-3. The Wildcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, Independence entered their tilt with West Cabarrus on Thursday with seven consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with eight. They put the hurt on the Wolverines with a sharp 15-1 win. Considering the Patriots have won nine contests by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Maliyah Alexander made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Independence got a massive performance out of Gianna McCloud, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run marked the first that McCloud launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Natalie Johnson, who scored two runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Independence always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Cabarrus only posted an OBP of .176.
Independence's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-2. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.1 runs over those games. As for Garinger, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-7.
Garinger suffered a grim 15-0 defeat to Independence in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
