The Madison Trojans will square off against the Hanover-Horton Comets at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Madison is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
While Madison's victory against Summerfield wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Trojans came out on top against the Bulldogs on Wednesday by a score of 7-6 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The win continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won three in a row.
Olivia Schmitz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and four unearned) runs on ten hits.
At the plate, Kendall Gilbertson and Mya Solis did most of the damage at the plate: Gilbertson went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Solis went 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Kalexiana Wrest was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, while Hanover-Horton put up plenty of runs on Wednesday, the same can't be said for Vandercook Lake. The Comets blew past the Jayhawks 16-0. The result was nothing new for the Comets, who have now won nine games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Alexyn DuBois made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up a single earned run any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Halle Swihart was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Ava Smith, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles.
Hanover-Horton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .818. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Hanover-Horton pushed their record up to 11-2 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Madison, their victory bumped their record up to 9-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Madison has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hanover-Horton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
