The Black River Pirates will head out to face off against the Firelands Falcons at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Black River will be strutting in after a win while Firelands will be coming in after a defeat.
On Thursday, Black River got the win against Oberlin by a conclusive 17-1. The result was nothing new for the Pirates, who have now won ten matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Mallory Eckert made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Eckert was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Jenna Dieter was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Madelyn Stief, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Black River kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 19 runs the game before, Firelands was a bit more limited in their contest on Thursday. They came up short against North Ridgeville, falling 10-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Falcons have suffered since April 9th.
Firelands saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Paige Coggins, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Black River has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Firelands, they now have a losing record of 8-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Black River has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Firelands struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Black River came out on top in a nail-biter against Firelands in their previous meeting back in April, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
