Daphne is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Fairhope is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Trojans will host the Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Daphne's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Baldwin County as they made off with a 12-0 victory. Daphne's win was all the more impressive since the Tigers were averaging only 2.58 runs allowed on the season.
Victoria Moten made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 19 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted over her last 15 games.
In other batting news, Daphne got a big performance out of Hannah Newport, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Karsyn Barnett, who scored two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Fairhope's hitters rose to the challenge against a Tigers pitching crew that boasted an average of only 2.24 runs allowed on Thursday. The Pirates were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over Baldwin County.
McKenzie DuBois spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on eight hits.
On the hitting side, Fairhope let Briley Bolden and Anna Bumpers run wild. Bolden went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Bumpers scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. That stolen base was Bumpers' first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Emma Stewart, who scored a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Fairhope always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Baldwin County only posted an OBP of .364.
Fairhope is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 23-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.4 runs over those games. As for Daphne, their win bumped their record up to 29-5.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Daphne hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .356. However, it's not like Fairhope struggles in that department as they've averaged .323. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Daphne's way against Fairhope in their previous meeting back in March, as Daphne made off with a 10-0 victory. Do the Trojans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pirates turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
