Softball Game Preview: Shepherd Pirates vs. Hargrave Falcons

Shepherd is 1-6 against Hargrave since March of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Pirates will be playing at home against the Falcons at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Shepherd 3.8, Hargrave 3.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Shepherd's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Friday's struggle, when Liberty hitters got past them. The Pirates came up short against the Panthers on Friday, falling 13-0. While getting shut out isn't ideal, the Pirates haven't been shut out since back in March.

Meanwhile, Hargrave was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They fell 7-4 to Hardin-Jefferson.

Hargrave's defeat dropped their record down to 12-12. As for Shepherd, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 22-8.

Hargrave's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Shepherd has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .442. It's a different story for Hargrave, though, as they've only averaged .338. Will they be able to contain Shepherd's hitters?

Shepherd beat Hargrave 4-0 in their previous meeting back in March. Will the Pirates repeat their success, or do the Falcons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.