The East Nicolaus Spartans will challenge the Northgate Broncos at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
East Nicolaus is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Woodside as they made off with a 7-1 win. Winning may never get old, but the Spartans sure are getting used to it with their seventh in a row.
Lela DeCecco and Lily Smith did most of the damage at the plate: DeCecco went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Smith went a perfect 1-for-1 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. That's the most hits DeCecco has posted since back in April. Gabby Sotelo was another key player, earning two RBI and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Northgate entered their tilt with Gridley on Tuesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They put the hurt on the Bulldogs with a sharp 11-2 victory.
Ashley Herman was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 13 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chloe Alfonso, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two runs. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Stella Hanko, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
Northgate's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-11. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for East Nicolaus, their win bumped their record up to 22-6.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. East Nicolaus hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .337. However, it's not like Northgate struggles in that department as they've averaged .317. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
