The St. John Heralds will venture away from home to face off against the Andrews Osborne Academy Phoenix at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. St. John has given up an average of 9.2 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
St. John is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 13 runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Pymatuning Valley on Monday. They came up short against the Lakers, falling 14-1. The Heralds haven't had much luck with the Lakers recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
St. John saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nadia Lagoa, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Andrews Osborne Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They put the hurt on St. Martin de Porres with a sharp 20-4 victory on Monday. Considering the Phoenix have won three matchups by more than 11 runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Adelaide Kercher made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. Kercher was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Izzy Schuller, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Schuller is crushing it when it comes to RBI: she's brought in at least three every time she's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Olivia Soliman, who went 3-for-4 with four stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Andrews Osborne Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .692. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .576 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Andrews Osborne Academy's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 20.0 runs over those games. As for St. John, they now have a losing record of 7-8.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. St. John hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .357. However, it's not like Andrews Osborne Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .396. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
