Softball Preview: Whitney Wildcats vs. Oak Ridge Trojans
The Whitney Wildcats will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Oak Ridge Trojans at 4:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Whitney: 1.8, Oak Ridge: 1.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Whitney is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Archbishop Mitty onto the board and left with a 2-0 victory.
The result came thanks to Hannah Duncan's shutout, as she gave up just five hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Mya Flindt was excellent, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
Meanwhile, Oak Ridge had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.6 runs), and they went ahead and made it six on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged the Haybalers out 4-2.
Ellison Schroeder looked comfortable as she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched.
At the plate, Sam Alekman and Jess Szelenyi did most of the damage at the plate: Alekman went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI, while Szelenyi scored two runs while going 3-for-5. Another player making a difference was Carly Short, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-6.
Whitney pushed their record up to 22-3 with that win, which was their 11th straight on the road. As for Oak Ridge, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 23-4 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Whitney has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Oak Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Whitney came up short against Oak Ridge in their previous matchup on Saturday, falling 3-0. Can Whitney avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
