The Livermore Cowboys will face off against the Newark Memorial Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Livermore will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs last Tuesday, then bounced right back against Patterson on Friday. Livermore blew past Patterson 12-1.
Livermore got a great performance from Kaci Norton as she struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk).
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Gianna Willes, who fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in home runs. Payten Williams was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.
Livermore always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Patterson only posted an OBP of .222.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Newark Memorial, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Hayward a 29-0 shutout on Tuesday. With that victory, the Cougars brought their scoring average up to 9 runs per game.
Caitlyn Rose was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Andrea Tall and Addyson Waterhouse did most of the damage at the plate: Tall went 5-for-6 with one home run, seven RBI, and four runs, while Waterhouse went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and four runs. Tall is also crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Ariana Romo, who scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
Newark Memorial's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 3-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Livermore, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Livermore hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .447. However, it's not like Newark Memorial struggles in that department as they've averaged .376. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Livermore beat Newark Memorial 10-7 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Does Livermore have another victory up their sleeve, or will Newark Memorial turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
