Softball Game Preview: Hickory Hawks vs. Grassfield Grizzlies

The Hickory Hawks will head out on the road to take on the Grassfield Grizzlies at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday. Hickory's pitching crew has only allowed 1.3 runs per game this season, so Grassfield's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last six times Hickory and Nansemond River have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Wednesday. The Hawks were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over the Warriors. Considering the Hawks have won 13 matches by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Meanwhile, Grassfield has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.94 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Monday. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 17-8 to Kellam, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The Grizzlies haven't had much luck with the Knights recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.

Cydney Lafon made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Addi Casassa, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs.

Hickory pushed their record up to 17-2 with the win, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Grassfield, their loss dropped their record down to 12-6.

Hickory beat Grassfield 7-3 when the teams last played last Wednesday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.