Softball Preview: Central Rockets vs. Dundee-Crown Chargers
Central and Dundee-Crown are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Central Rockets will head out on the road to square off against the Dundee-Crown Chargers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Central finally turned things around against Jacobs on Thursday. Central was the clear victor by a 9-1 margin over Jacobs.
Emily Rafferty spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Kelsey Covey was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. Antonina Garcia was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Dundee-Crown came up short against Prairie Ridge on Thursday and fell 8-5.
McKayla Anderson was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and three unearned) runs off ten hits (and only one walk). Anderson was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Brianna Hamblen was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two RBI. Another player making a difference was Annabelle Pederson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Central's victory bumped their record up to 12-14. As for Dundee-Crown, their loss dropped their record down to 13-12.
Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Dundee-Crown in their previous matchup last Wednesday, sneaking past 2-1. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Anderson, who tossed 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Central still be able to contain Anderson? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
