The Fremont Firebirds will venture away from home to challenge the Gunn Titans at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Fremont will be strutting in after a victory while Gunn will be coming in after a loss.
Fremont took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They came out on top against MacDonald by a score of 6-3.
Jiyah Caban made a splash while hitting and pitching. She pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Valerie Cuaresma, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI. Molly Bobick also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Fremont hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Gunn didn't have quite enough to beat MacDonald on Tuesday and fell 4-3. The Titans have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Like Fremont, Gunn also got a great game from a two-way player: Violet Hayes. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Hayes was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, Anna Brown made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Fremont is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Gunn, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-7.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Fremont hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .328. However, it's not like Gunn struggles in that department as they've averaged .319. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Fremont couldn't quite finish off Gunn in their previous matchup back in April and fell 6-4. Can the Firebirds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
