Eastside has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Saint Francis Catholic Wolves at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Eastside hasn't scored more than one runs for three games straight, a trend the squad is eager to reverse.
Thursday just wasn't the day for Eastside's offense. Their rough 18-0 defeat to West Port on Thursday might stick with them for a while.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Saint Francis Catholic gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. They blew past Cedar Key 10-3. The win was just what Saint Francis Catholic needed coming off of a 17-8 loss in their prior match.
Lexy Bhatia was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Bhatia was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-3. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mariana Alvarez, who scored two runs and stole six bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Mackenzie Moran, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Eastside's defeat dropped their record down to 0-10. As for Saint Francis Catholic, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-4-1 record this season.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Eastside has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .433. However, it's not like Saint Francis Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .599. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Eastside might still be hurting after the 16-1 loss they got from Saint Francis Catholic in their previous meeting back in February. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Bhatia, who didn't allow a single hit, only one earned run while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Now that Eastside knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
