Softball Preview: Hickory Ridge Ragin' Bulls vs. Piedmont Panthers
The Hickory Ridge Ragin' Bulls will head out on the road to face off against the Piedmont Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Hickory Ridge comes in on four and Piedmont on seven.
On Tuesday, it was close, but Hickory Ridge sidestepped Cox Mill for a 5-4 victory.
Embler Kristyn made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Kristyn has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Kristyn was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emma Shumaker, who went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, and a run. Victoria Porretta was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Piedmont stacked a tenth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 14-0 margin over Central Academy.
Jailyn Thomas spent all five innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just zero earned runs on one hit and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Sarah Belk, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Madison Brown, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Hickory Ridge pushed their record up to 14-4 with that win, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Piedmont, their record now sits at 14-2.
Hickory Ridge was able to grind out a solid victory over Piedmont when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 3-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hickory Ridge 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
