Softball Game Preview: Milton Panthers vs. Tate Aggies

The Milton Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Tate Aggies at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Tate took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Milton, who comes in off a win.

Milton is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Booker T. Washington on Thursday as they made off with a 19-0 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Panthers considering their two-run performance the matchup before.

Alexis Hawthorne was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Chloe Norman, who went 1-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.

Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Tate's offense. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pace on Thursday. The shutout was out of character for the Aggies seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in March.

Jordan Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Tate saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kara Wine, who went 1-for-2 with one double.

Milton has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-10 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. As for Tate, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-10.

Milton skirted past Tate 4-3 in their previous meeting back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.