The La Vernia Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Cuero Gobblers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. La Vernia is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
La Vernia fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Gonzales on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 6-1 to the Apaches. Having soared to a lofty 18 runs in the game before, La Vernia couldn't push the score so high this time.
Mattie Armstrong spent all ten innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and one unearned) runs on 11 hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, La Vernia saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Madison Duncan, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-5. Duncan is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last four games she's played.
Meanwhile, Cuero had already won 14 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 runs), and they went ahead and made it 15 on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Rockets a 19-0 shutout. Considering Cuero has won 17 contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Carly Pullin made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Pullin was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lainee Ballin, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Bromli Watson, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
La Vernia's loss dropped their record down to 13-15-1. As for Cuero, their win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 23-1-1.
Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. La Vernia has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .453. However, it's not like Cuero struggles in that department as they've averaged .506. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
La Vernia suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to Cuero when the teams last played back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Pullin, who kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Now that La Vernia knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
