The South Laurel Cardinals will head out on the road to take on the Southwestern Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. South Laurel will be strutting in after a victory while Southwestern will be coming in after a defeat.
South Laurel barely beat Somerset the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cardinals put the hurt on the Briar Jumpers with a sharp 13-3 win on Monday. The result was nothing new for the Cardinals, who have now won 18 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Kenzie Williams made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched five innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Addison Baker, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI she has posted over her last eight contests. The team also got some help courtesy of Bailey Frazier, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and three runs.
Meanwhile, Southwestern suffered their biggest loss since April 19th on Tuesday. They came up short against Clinton County, falling 10-0. While getting shut out isn't ideal, the Warriors haven't been shut out since back in April.
South Laurel has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 14 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 24-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Southwestern, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 16-9.
Thursday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. South Laurel hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .355. However, it's not like Southwestern struggles in that department as they've averaged .372. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South Laurel took their win against Southwestern in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 18-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cardinals since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
