Softball Preview: Valley Central Vikings vs. Warwick Wildcats
Valley Central is 2-8 against Warwick since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Valley Central Vikings will be playing at home against the Warwick Wildcats at 3:30 p.m. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Valley Central: 2.4, Warwick: 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Valley Central is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Minisink Valley just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 5-4.
Emily Sharpe spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on four hits and racked up nine Ks.
At the plate, Audrey O'Neill was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. Another player making a difference was Emilia Brundage, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Even though they lost, Valley Central didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with nine strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Minisink Valley only tossed three.
Meanwhile, Warwick had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it seven on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged the Gladiators out 4-2.
Olivia Martino made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Martino was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Martino wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Etta Garofalo, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Annie Lincoln was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Valley Central's loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-2. As for Warwick, they pushed their record up to 11-4 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
Thursday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Valley Central hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .397. However, it's not like Warwick struggles in that department as they've averaged .332. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Valley Central skirted past Warwick 7-5 in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Does Valley Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will Warwick turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
