Softball Game Preview: DeMotte Christian Knights vs. Tri-County Cavaliers

DeMotte Christian hasn't had much luck against Tri-County recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Knights will square off against the Cavaliers at 5:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

DeMotte Christian will bounce into Thursday's game after beating Faith Christian, who they had gone 0-7 against in their seven prior meetings. The Knights walked away with a 6-2 victory over the Eagles on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Tri-County had already won 11 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.6 runs) and they went ahead and made it 12 on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 16-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Cavaliers, who have now won nine matches by seven runs or more so far this season.

Reese Johnson and Grace Luck made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Johnson pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Luck struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Johnson went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI, while Luck got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases Luck has posted over her last 11 contests.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bella Dominguez, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four stolen bases, five RBI, and two runs. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jayden Martin, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.

Tri-County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .464. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .371 or higher in four consecutive games.

Tri-County pushed their record up to 13-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for DeMotte Christian, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.