Softball Preview: South Brunswick Cougars vs. Hoggard Vikings
South Brunswick is 1-9 against Hoggard since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The South Brunswick Cougars are on the road again to play the Hoggard Vikings at 6:00 p.m. South Brunswick is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.
South Brunswick put the finishing touches on their seventh blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They put the hurt on North Brunswick with a sharp 13-0 win.
Kina Davis was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 19 over seven innings pitched. Davis has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than 11 strikeouts in eight consecutive pitching appearances. Davis was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a home run and five RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Savana Burgess, who went 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. Tabatha Martin was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5.
Meanwhile, Hoggard came up short against Topsail on Tuesday and fell 8-3. It was the first time this season that Hoggard let down their fans at home.
Like South Brunswick, Hoggard also got a great game from a two-way player: Macey Ciamillo. On the mound, she pitched seven innings while giving up four earned (and four unearned) runs off six hits (she also only allowed one walk). Ciamillo was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with a home run.
Ciamillo wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Tristan Shivers, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
South Brunswick's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-2. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs per game. As for Hoggard, their loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 6-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. South Brunswick has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hoggard struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
South Brunswick was able to grind out a solid win over Hoggard in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, winning 5-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for South Brunswick since the team 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
