Softball Game Preview: Triad Cardinals vs. Fairbanks Panthers

For the second straight game, Triad will face off against Fairbanks. The Cardinals will take on the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Triad has struggled recently with eight losses in a row, while Fairbanks will arrive with eight straight wins.

It was a proper cat-fight when Triad duked it out with Fairbanks on Monday. The Cardinals came up short against the Panthers, falling 11-1. That's two games in a row now that the Cardinals have lost by exactly ten runs.

For Fairbanks' part, Macy Kise was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (and only one walk). Kise has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024.

In other batting news, Fairbanks got a massive performance out of Claire Meihls, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Those two stolen bases gave Meihls a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tiffini Harper, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.

Fairbanks hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters every time they've taken the field this season.

Fairbanks pushed their record up to 9-1 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Triad, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-8.