Softball Game Preview: Jackson County Central Huskies vs. Fairmont Cardinals

The Jackson County Central Huskies will head out on the road to challenge the Fairmont Cardinals at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Jackson County Central's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Redwood Valley as they made off with a 15-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Huskies in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now won six in a row.

Fairmont came out on top against Blue Earth on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run fourth inning. The Cardinals were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over the Buccaneers. The victory was nothing new for the Cardinals as they're now sitting on four straight.

Gabby Leiding was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.

In other batting news, Gwyn Schultz and Brylee Miller did most of the damage at the plate: Schultz went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple, while Miller went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Miller has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Makayla Lowry, who earned three runs and three stolen bases.

Fairmont always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Blue Earth only posted an OBP of .318.

Jackson County Central's record is now 10-1. As for Fairmont, their record now sits at 11-4.

Jackson County Central was able to grind out a solid win over Fairmont when the teams last played back in April, winning 4-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Huskies since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.