Softball Preview: ThunderRidge Grizzlies vs. Cherokee Trail Cougars
After six games on the road, ThunderRidge is heading back home. They will welcome the Cherokee Trail Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
ThunderRidge is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Smoky Hill 15-1 on Monday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Jillian Kelly made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Kelly was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, ThunderRidge got a massive performance out of Allie Horsford, who went 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and a double. Ava Lynch was another key player, going 2-for-2 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, ThunderRidge always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Smoky Hill only posted an OBP of .450.
Meanwhile, Cherokee Trail faced Castle View in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. Everything went Cherokee Trail's way against Castle View as Cherokee Trail made off with a 14-5 victory. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by eight runs or more this season.
Like ThunderRidge, Cherokee Trail also got a great game from a two-way player: Sydney Cobb. On the mound, Cobb tossed two innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs but no hits. Meanwhile, Emma Rice tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. The dominant performance gave her a new career- in strikeouts. At the plate, Cobb went 4-for-5 with four RBI, a run, and a double, while Rice went 2-for-4 with a home run and a stolen base.
In other batting news, Cherokee Trail got a massive performance out of Kylie Twilt, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and a stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Isabelle Becker, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
ThunderRidge pushed their record up to 5-4 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Cherokee Trail, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 7-2.
Wednesday's contest will be a test for both team's pitchers. ThunderRidge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Cherokee Trail struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
ThunderRidge took their win against Cherokee Trail when the teams last played back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 8-2. Will ThunderRidge repeat their success, or does Cherokee Trail have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
