The Providence Athletic Club Panthers will challenge the Hammond Skyhawks at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Providence Athletic Club is coming into the game hot, having won their last 12 games.
Providence Athletic Club's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past Wagener-Salley 18-0. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine contests by seven runs or more this season.
Atalie Gauntt made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Bridget Kean and Kenslee Wessinger did most of the damage at the plate: Kean scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Wessinger scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those two runs gave Wessinger a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Abigail Gibbs, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Providence Athletic Club kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hammond suffered their biggest defeat since March 4th on Tuesday. They lost 21-3 to Laurence Manning Academy. The loss continues a trend for the Skyhawks in their meetings with the Swampcats: they've now lost seven in a row.
Hammond saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ava Sapp, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Providence Athletic Club pushed their record up to 16-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.2 runs over those games. As for Hammond, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-5.
Hammond's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Providence Athletic Club has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. It's a different story for Hammond, though, as they've been averaging 8.8 hits. Given Providence Athletic Club's sizable advantage in that area, the Skyhawks will need to find a way to close that gap.
Providence Athletic Club skirted past Hammond 5-3 when the teams last played last Tuesday. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Skyhawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
