Softball Preview: Poplar Bluff Mules vs. Kelly Hawks
Poplar Bluff and Kelly are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2018, but likely not for long. The Poplar Bluff Mules will head out on the road to square off against the Kelly Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Poplar Bluff is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games.
Poplar Bluff is headed into the match having just posted their biggest victory since September 16, 2023 on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 10-0 margin over West Plains.
Lillie I. Johnson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Johnson was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Addison Valenzuela was a standout: she scored a run while going 3-for-4. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in OBP. Another player making a difference was Mary Adams, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.
Poplar Bluff always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Kelly took on Rockwood Summit on Saturday. Kelly came up short against Rockwood Summit, falling 13-2. The Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Poplar Bluff is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-11 record this season. As for Kelly, their loss dropped their record down to 15-11.
Poplar Bluff beat Kelly 3-0 in their previous matchup last Monday. The rematch might be a little tougher for Poplar Bluff 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
