Softball Preview: Masuk Panthers vs. Ellington Knights
Masuk has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Ellington Knights on Saturday. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (Masuk: 1.2, Ellington: 1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Masuk is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged Guilford out 4-2.
Julia Bacoulis spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in nine consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Natalie Lieto was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Ciena Perpetuo, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Ellington had already won 19 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.1 runs), and they went ahead and made it 20 on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Cadets a 3-0 shutout. Give Ellington's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's fifth straight shutout.
The result came thanks to Camryn Fisher's shutout, as she gave up just three hits and racked up 12 Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Keyleigh Flaherty, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Masuk pushed their record up to 27-0 with that victory, which was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Ellington, their win bumped their record up to 24-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Masuk hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Ellington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Masuk took their victory against Ellington when the teams last played back in June of 2023 by a conclusive 7-0. Does Masuk have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ellington turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
