Softball Preview: Hartfield Academy Hawks vs. Oak Forest Academy Yellowjackets
The Hartfield Academy Hawks's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Oak Forest Academy Yellowjackets at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday. Hartfield Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.
Hartfield Academy is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 15 runs last Monday, they were much more limited against Jackson Prep on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Patriots by a score of 3-2.
Raegan Huber was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she struck out six batters over 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Huber was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, Carson Smith was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs. Addison Adams also deserves some recognition as she stolen her first stolen base of the season.
Even though they lost, Hartfield Academy didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with eight strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've posted since back in August.
Meanwhile, Oak Forest Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 12-2 margin over the Buccaneers. The Yellowjackets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matches by six runs or more this season.
Like Hartfield Academy, Oak Forest Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Preslie Dempster. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Dempster has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other pitching news, Rylee Blount looked comfortable as she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, Emma Day was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Enslee Casanova, who went 1-for-3 with a home run.
Hartfield Academy's defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 9-4. As for Oak Forest Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3-1 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Hartfield Academy hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Oak Forest Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Hartfield Academy took their victory against Oak Forest Academy in their previous matchup back in August by a conclusive 7-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hartfield Academy 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
