Softball Preview: Richwoods Knights vs. Danville Vikings
Richwoods is 1-9 against Danville since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Richwoods Knights will head out on the road to take on the Danville Vikings at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Richwoods headed into their last matchup having not scored more than two runs for three straight, but Peoria Notre Dame let them put that streak behind them. Richwoods came out on top in a nail-biter against Peoria Notre Dame on Thursday and snuck past 13-11. Considering Richwoods' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Mia Cook and Olivia Hauri did most of the damage at the plate: Cook went 2-for-3 with three RBI, a triple, and a run, while Hauri scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Paige Sarraf, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Danville, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Urbana a 12-0 shutout on Thursday. The victory was some much needed relief for Danville as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Kendall Rannebarger was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Rannebarger has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Rannebarger was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Alicia Angus, who went 3-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Payton Beith was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing four bases while going 2-for-2.
Richwoods' win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-16. As for Danville, their record now sits at 10-11.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Richwoods hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Danville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Richwoods might still be hurting after the 15-8 loss they got from Danville when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Can Richwoods avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
