The Reading Blue Devils will head out on the road to face off against the Bethel-Tate Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Reading is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.7 runs per game this season.
Mercy McAuley hit Reading with a four-run third inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Blue Devils fell 9-5 to the Wolves.
Reading saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Madison Berry, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Bethel-Tate challenged Finneytown on Wednesday. The Tigers never let the Wildcats get on the board and left with a 13-0 victory. Considering the Tigers have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kaylee Randolph made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Those ten strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles, one stolen base, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Addysyn Bohl was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jess Mahan, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Bethel-Tate always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .889. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Bethel-Tate has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Reading, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-6.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Reading hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .383. However, it's not like Bethel-Tate struggles in that department as they've averaged .344. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Reading was able to grind out a solid victory over Bethel-Tate in their previous matchup back in March of 2019, winning 12-7. Do the Blue Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
