Softball Game Preview: Butler Golden Tornado vs. Hempfield Area Spartans

Butler hasn't had much luck against Hempfield Area recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Golden Tornado will take on the Spartans at 1:30 p.m. Butler has given up an average of 11.2 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Butler came into this matchup off a tough 13-run loss on Monday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Norwin by a score of 11-9 on Wednesday. The Golden Tornado have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, Hempfield Area put another one in the bag on Wednesday to keep their perfect season alive. They never let Mt. Lebanon get on the board and left with a 15-0 win. Considering the Spartans have won nine matches by more than eight runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Claire Mitchell was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Lauren Howard, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.

Hempfield Area was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .548. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .391 or higher in seven consecutive contests.

Hempfield Area pushed their record up to 12-0 with the victory, which was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Butler, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-10.

Butler couldn't quite get it done against Hempfield Area when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 6-1. Can the Golden Tornado avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.