Lincoln Park hasn't had much luck against Taft recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Lions will head out on the road to square off against the Eagles at 5:00 p.m. Lincoln Park will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
Lincoln Park is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Juarez get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory on Monday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Lions with their most commanding win of the season.
Susanna Morris made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Morris was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
In other batting news, Lincoln Park got a massive performance out of Natalie Alvarez, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Those three stolen bases gave Alvarez a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Eleanor Funke, who went 2-for-3 with five RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base.
Lincoln Park always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .677. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Taft challenged Curie on Monday. The Eagles put the hurt on the Condors with a sharp 15-0 win. Considering the Eagles have won 11 contests by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Lincoln Park, Taft also got a great game from a two-way player: Lorelei Monk. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Monk has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Isabel Dennewitz was a standout: she got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Ginevra Kellogg was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Taft's record is now 16-10. As for Lincoln Park, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-8.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lincoln Park hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Taft struggles in that department as they've averaged .355. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lincoln Park suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Taft in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Lions avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
