The Ingleside Mustangs will take on the Calhoun Sandcrabs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Ingleside's pitching crew has only allowed three runs per game this season, so Calhoun's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Ingleside will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Sinton, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Mustangs came out on top against the Pirates by a score of 6-1 on Tuesday.
Kylee Ward was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kiki Smith and Leilani Smith did most of the damage at the plate: Kiki scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2, while Leilani scored a run while going 1-for-4. Another player making a difference was Carol Rodriquez, who scored a run while going 1-for-5.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Calhoun). They were the clear victors by a 17-2 margin over Victoria East on Tuesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Ella Lange was a standout: she scored three runs while going 2-for-2. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Lauryn Chavana was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
Calhoun kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.8 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 11.8.
Ingleside has been performing well recently as they've won 16 of their last 19 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Calhoun, they now have a winning record of 12-11.
Everything went Ingleside's way against Calhoun in their previous matchup back in March, as Ingleside made off with a 10-0 win. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Sandcrabs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
