The Gainesville Hurricanes will take on the Trinity Catholic Celtics at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Gainesville sitting on seven straight victories and Trinity Catholic on six.
If Gainesville beats Trinity Catholic with 13 runs on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Hurricanes put the hurt on Newberry with a sharp 13-6 win on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Hurricanes, who have now won five games by six runs or more so far this season.
McKenna O'Sullivan was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching seven innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits. O'Sullivan was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Braylin Cook was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in February. Emma Barton was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
Gainesville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Trinity Catholic posted their closest victory since March 11th on Thursday. They skirted past Taylor 8-6.
Liliana Ornelas spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kristina Fogelman, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Casey Houghtaling, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI.
Gainesville's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-5. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Trinity Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 14-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Gainesville hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Trinity Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
