The Cedar Valley Aviators are on the road again on Tuesday to play the Salem Hills Skyhawks at 3:30 p.m. Cedar Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Last Friday, Cedar Valley sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-3 victory over Copper Hills. The win was just what Cedar Valley needed coming off of a 15-0 defeat in their prior match.
Catharina Underwood was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She pitched seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Underwood was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
Underwood wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Mindy Ward, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Salem Hills had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it five in their fourth game on Saturday. Everything went their way against the Longhorns as they made off with a 16-1 victory. Salem Hills might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won nine contests by six runs or more this season.
Like Cedar Valley, Salem Hills also got a great game from a two-way player: Keyana Murray. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (she also didn't allow any walks). Murray has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single hit in three consecutive pitching appearances. Murray was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Salem Hills got a massive performance out of Rilyne Keck, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Keck is on a roll when it comes to home runs, as she's now launched at least one in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Camryn Guest, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Cedar Valley's record is now 10-5. As for Salem Hills, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Cedar Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .373. However, it's not like Salem Hills struggles in that department as they've averaged .409. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cedar Valley came up short against Salem Hills in their previous meeting back in March, falling 9-5. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Murray, who struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits. Now that Cedar Valley knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
