Softball Game Preview: Fort Wayne North Side Legends vs. Southern Wells Raiders

The Fort Wayne North Side Legends will challenge the Southern Wells Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Fort Wayne North Side has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Southern Wells will arrive with three straight wins.

Monday just wasn't the day for Fort Wayne North Side's offense. They lost 16-0 to Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran on Monday. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Legends' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Meanwhile, Southern Wells got the win against Lakewood Park Christian on Monday by a conclusive 13-3.

Alexis Pennington was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, one stolen base, and one double. Those four runs gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kenzie Paxson, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with six RBI, two triples, and two runs. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. Remi Holmes was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs and one RBI.

Southern Wells was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .607. They are 4-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Southern Wells pushed their record up to 5-19 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Fort Wayne North Side, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-11.

Fort Wayne North Side suffered a grim 26-8 defeat to Southern Wells in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can the Legends avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.