Softball Preview: Oregon Panthers vs. DeForest Norskies
Oregon has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the DeForest Norskies at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Oregon's pitching crew has only allowed 2.7 runs per game this season, so DeForest's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Oregon is hoping to deliver their fans another blowout on Friday, just like they did against Fort Atkinson (and have done all season long). Oregon was the clear victor by a 6-0 margin over Fort Atkinson on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, DeForest narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Waunakee 4-2.
Payton Steffen spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on five hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than six innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, DeForest's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Reagan Smith, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Brianna Rusch, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Oregon pushed their record up to 8-3 with that victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. As for DeForest, their win bumped their record up to 5-8.
Everything went Oregon's way against DeForest in their previous meeting two weeks ago as Oregon made off with a 15-5 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Oregon 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
