The Sunset Apollos will challenge the Jesuit Crusaders at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Sunset 2.5, Jesuit 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Jesuit will be up against a hot Sunset squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Apollos' pitchers stepped up to hand Southridge an 11-0 shutout on Monday. The Apollos might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 contests by six runs or more this season.
Sydney Arnold was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Maddy Larson was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Keana Cooper, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Sunset was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .517. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .462 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Jesuit faced Mountainside in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Monday. The Crusaders fell just short of the Mavericks by a score of 3-2. The Crusaders' loss signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Selah Greene made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Jesuit now has a losing record of 7-8. As for Sunset, their win bumped their record up to 12-4.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Sunset hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Jesuit struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
