Softball Game Preview: New Albany Eagles vs. Central Crossing Comets

The New Albany Eagles will square off against the Central Crossing Comets at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: New Albany has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while Central Crossing will arrive with four straight victories.

On Wednesday, New Albany came up short against Lincoln and fell 13-9.

Bella Dues was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. Another player making a difference was Ava Bowersock, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.

Meanwhile, Central Crossing never let their opponents score on Wednesday. They came out on top against Pickerington North by a score of 4-0.

Not much got past Hayliee Roberts, who gave up just four hits and racked up 14 Ks to keep Pickerington North off the board. Roberts has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Central Crossing saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lindsay Russell, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.

New Albany's loss dropped their record down to 1-5. As for Central Crossing, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. New Albany hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Central Crossing struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.2 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.

New Albany beat Central Crossing 4-0 in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Comets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.