The Payton College Prep Grizzlies will challenge the ITW David Speer Academy Pride at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Payton College Prep barely beat Northside the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Grizzlies' pitchers stepped up to hand the Mustangs a 7-0 shutout on Monday.
Johannah Kimbler made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Molly Vann, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Maren Theyssen was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous four matchup, ITW David Speer Academy brought some dynamite into their most recent contest. Everything went their way against Golder on Saturday as they made off with a 16-0 win. Considering the Pride have won 12 games by more than nine runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Sophia Hernandez looked comfortable as she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April.
On the hitting side, Anaiyah Costoso was incredible, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with eight stolen bases and three runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Kloey Reyes, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Payton College Prep is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-12 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.9 runs over those games. As for ITW David Speer Academy, the win snapped their losing streak at four games and leaves them with a 16-11 record.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Payton College Prep hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .339. However, it's not like ITW David Speer Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .436. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Payton College Prep was able to grind out a solid victory over ITW David Speer Academy when the teams last played back in April, winning 9-6. Will the Grizzlies repeat their success, or do the Pride have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
