Softball Preview: Excel Panthers vs. Opp Bobcats
The Excel Panthers will square off against the Opp Bobcats at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Excel is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They skirted past Cottage Hill Christian Academy 4-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for Excel.
Avery Duke spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on one hit and racked up 13 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Brooklyn Barlow was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Opp put the finishing touches on their 26th blowout victory of the season on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 9-2 margin over Thomasville. The victory was nothing new for Opp as they're now sitting on six straight.
Reese Cauley was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits (and only one walk). Cauley was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, a triple, and a double.
In other batting news, Opp got a big performance out of Jaidyn Ivey, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4. Another player making a difference was Rylie Kate Thrash, who went 3-for-3 with two RBI.
Excel now has a winning record of 16-15. As for Opp, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 38-6-1 record this season.
Excel couldn't quite finish off Opp in their previous matchup back in May of 2019 and fell 5-3. Thankfully for Excel, Graceanne Spears (who struck out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
