Softball Game Preview: Lincoln County Patriots vs. Southwestern Warriors

The Lincoln County Patriots will venture away from home to challenge the Southwestern Warriors at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Southwestern took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Lincoln County, who comes in off a win.

Lincoln County is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Danville with a sharp 21-3 win on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.

Lincoln County let Autumn Durham and Bella Howard run wild. Durham got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base, while Howard got on base in all three of her plate appearances with two runs and two RBI. Those two RBI gave Howard a new career-high. Hailee Elmore also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Lincoln County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .676. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Danville only posted an OBP of .471.

Meanwhile, Southwestern came up short against Estill County on Friday, falling 8-1.

Southwestern saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Chloe Carroll, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Carroll is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played.

Lincoln County is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-15 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Southwestern, their loss dropped their record down to 6-5.

Saturday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Lincoln County has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .449. However, it's not like Southwestern struggles in that department as they've averaged .444. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.

Lincoln County might still be hurting after the 18-3 defeat they got from Southwestern in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Patriots avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.