Softball Preview: Bothell Cougars vs. Issaquah Eagles
Bothell is 9-1 against Issaquah since April of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Bothell Cougars will head out on the road to take on the Issaquah Eagles at 4:30 p.m. Bothell is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.
Bothell will head out to face Issaquah after giving up their first home loss of the season on Friday. Bothell lost 17-3 to Redmond. It was the first time this season that Bothell let down their fans at home.
Bothell saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kolbi Schmer, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. Julia Radvick was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Issaquah has not done well against Eastlake recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Issaquah walked away with a 7-2 win over Eastlake.
Shae Erickson made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Erickson has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. Erickson was also big at the plate, firing off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Issaquah let Gwen Leith and Abby Cleveland loose on the outfield. Leith scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Cleveland went 1-for-3 with three RBI and a double.
Bothell's defeat ended an eight-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 15-3. As for Issaquah, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-7 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Bothell hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Issaquah struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Bothell skirted past Issaquah 3-2 in their previous meeting on April 1st. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Erickson, who struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Bothell still be able to contain Erickson? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
