Softball Preview: American Leadership Academy - Ironwood Warriors vs. Northwest Christian Crusaders
After two games on the road, American Leadership Academy - Ironwood is heading back home. They will take on the Northwest Christian Crusaders at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Monday, American Leadership Academy - Ironwood earned a 9-5 win over Gilbert Christian.
Shawnacy Serrano was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 13 over seven innings pitched. Serrano has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Serrano was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Kayleigh Blackstock was incredible, going 3-for-5 with three runs, three doubles, and two RBI. Hayden Cumbo was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Northwest Christian entered their tilt with Chino Valley with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They came out on top against the Cougars by a score of 12-8 on Monday.
Ella Reuter was incredible, firing off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Annika Dekker, who scored two runs while going 3-for-5.
American Leadership Academy - Ironwood is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a massive bump to their 9-8 record this season. As for Northwest Christian, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-7.
Northwest Christian's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. American Leadership Academy - Ironwood has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Northwest Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 2.7. Will American Leadership Academy - Ironwood keep running through batters, or will Northwest Christian buck the trend?
American Leadership Academy - Ironwood came out on top in a nail-biter against Northwest Christian when the teams last played back in March of 2023, sneaking past 6-5. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Northwest Christian's Maddy Blair, who struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off nine hits. Now that she won't be playing on Wednesday, will it be that much easier for American Leadership Academy - Ironwood to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
