Empire has won 15 straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Sabino has won 15 straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Wednesday. The Ravens will welcome the Sabercats at 4:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Empire 1.3, Sabino 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Empire's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They put the hurt on Safford with a sharp 11-0 victory. Considering the Ravens have won 18 games by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Eva Peace was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Angelina Dehler was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Empire was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .522. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .419 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Sabino sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over Northwest Christian on Saturday.
Avery Nielson was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off five hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs.
In other batting news, Alyssa Aguirre and Bobbi Valles did most of the damage at the plate: Aguirre went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base, while Valles went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. That's the most hits Valles has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Mia Acosta, who got on base in two of her four plate appearances with two RBI.
Sabino has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 15 contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 16-11 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.9 runs over those games. As for Empire, their win bumped their record up to 25-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Empire has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Sabino struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Empire skirted past Sabino 2-1 in their previous meeting back in April. Will the Ravens repeat their success, or do the Sabercats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
