Softball Preview: Mt. Vernon Mountaineers vs. Diamond Wildcats
The Mt. Vernon Mountaineers will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Diamond Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Mt. Vernon sitting on four straight victories and Diamond on 33.
Mt. Vernon is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Missouri's top teams: Ash Grove, who was ranked sixth in their home state at the time (Mt. Vernon was ranked fifth). Mt. Vernon had just enough and edged Ash Grove out 5-3.
The team relied heavily on Rae Downing, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, a triple, and a run. Another player making a difference was Payge Evans, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Diamond gave their fans yet another huge win on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 12-5 margin over Stockton.
Caitlyn Suhrie made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Suhrie was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lauren Turner, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Grace Frazier was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Mt. Vernon is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 27-9 record this season. As for Diamond, they pushed their record up to 33-0 with that victory, which was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season.
Mt. Vernon came up short against Diamond in their previous meeting back in March, falling 9-5. Can Mt. Vernon avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
