Softball Game Preview: Shippensburg Greyhounds vs. James Buchanan Rockets

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Previous Games

04/29/24 - Away	13-9 W
04/12/24 - Home	9-4 W
05/01/23 - Away	11-0 W
04/05/23 - Away	17-7 W
04/26/22 - Home	11-3 W
+ 5 more games

Shippensburg is 9-1 against James Buchanan since April of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Greyhounds are taking a road trip to square off against the Rockets at 4:15 p.m.

In Tuesday's Canine Competition, Shippensburg didn't have enough. They lost 11-3 to Big Spring on Tuesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Meanwhile, James Buchanan got their first taste of in-conference action on Tuesday and they started things off strong. They won by a run and slipped past West Perry 4-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Rockets.

Lilianna Wiley spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on four hits and racked up 13 Ks. Those 13 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.

On the hitting side, Mekenzie Gayman was excellent, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and one double. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooklyn Sanchez, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.

Gayman wasn't the only one working in the hit department: James Buchanan kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Perry only managed four hits.

James Buchanan pushed their record up to 5-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Shippensburg, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-4 record this season.

Shippensburg was able to grind out a solid victory over James Buchanan in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 13-9. Will the Greyhounds repeat their success, or do the Rockets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.