The Mater Bay Academy Rays are taking a road trip to take on the Key West Conchs at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mater Bay Academy took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They never let Immaculata-La Salle get on the board and left with a 15-0 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Rays considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Paiten Mclaughlin made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Mclaughlin was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Jarilynn Romero was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. What's more, she posted two RBI, the most she's had since back in February. Katlynn Figueroa was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
Mater Bay Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .708. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Key West). They blew past Mater Bay Academy 20-5 last Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Conchs.
Brianna Brenner looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Tavyn Gage was a standout: she scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-6. Another player making a difference was Kaleaya Dickerson, who scored three runs while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances.
Key West's win bumped their record up to 10-6. As for Mater Bay Academy, the victory snapped their losing streak at five games and leaves them with a 7-9 record.
Mater Bay Academy suffered a grim 20-5 defeat to Key West when the teams last played last Wednesday. Can the Rays avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
