Softball Preview: Burke County Bears vs. Thomson Bulldogs
The Burke County Bears will take on the Thomson Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Burke County is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Glenn Hills a 17-0 shutout on Tuesday. The victory was familiar territory for the Bears who have now won three matchups in a row.
Burke County got a massive performance out of Maddox Russell, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-1. Russell also hit a triple, marking her first of the season. Braylin Fare was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Burke County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .818. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're batting average total in four consecutive contests.
Thomson never got on the board in their matchup on Wednesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Laney last Thursday. Everything went their way against the Wildcats as they made off with an 18-1 win. With that victory, the Bulldogs brought their scoring average up to 7.3 runs per game.
Chloe Smith made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive pitching appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Janiya Scott was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Janiya Drake, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in both of her plate appearances.
Burke County's win bumped their record up to 3-5. As for Thomson, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-5.
Tuesday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Burke County has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of 0. However, it's not like Thomson struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Burke County suffered a grim 14-6 defeat to Thomson in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Will Burke County have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
