Softball Preview: Woodgrove Wolverines vs. John Champe Knights
Woodgrove has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the John Champe Knights at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Woodgrove's favor is that they have posted big run totals in their last six contests.
Woodgrove is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Heritage onto the board and left with a 12-0 win. Woodgrove might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won 17 matchups by ten runs or more this season.
Heritage's batters probably weren't too happy with Abbey Lane, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 15 Ks (she gave up no walks). Lane has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in 20 consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Woodgrove let Abbey Davis and Faith Barker loose on the outfield. Davis scored three runs while going 3-for-4, while Barker scored two runs while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Erynn Thompson, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, John Champe has not done well against Loudoun Valley recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. John Champe came out on top in a nail-biter against Loudoun Valley and snuck past 8-6.
Ella Dawson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered six earned runs on ten hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Sydney Perez, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Sierra Price was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Woodgrove pushed their record up to 22-0 with that victory, which was their 26th straight at home dating back to last season. As for John Champe, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Woodgrove has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 12.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like John Champe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Woodgrove took their win against John Champe in their previous matchup on Friday by a conclusive 10-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Woodgrove since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
