Softball Game Preview: South Plantation Paladins vs. Archbishop McCarthy Mavericks

The South Plantation Paladins will square off against the Archbishop McCarthy Mavericks at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Neither of those teams managed to put together many runs in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.

Friday just wasn't the day for South Plantation's offense. They came up short against King's Academy on Friday, falling 14-0. The match marked the first time this season in which the Paladins were not able to get on the board.

Meanwhile, Archbishop McCarthy didn't have quite enough to beat Somerset Academy (Silver Palms) on Saturday and fell 4-2.

Sienna Garcia spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Archbishop McCarthy saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Krista Confesssore, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. That stolen base marked the first that Confesssore snagged this season. Alexis Nightingale was another, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

Archbishop McCarthy's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 6-3. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for South Plantation, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-10 record this season.

South Plantation beat Archbishop McCarthy 4-1 in their previous meeting back in April of 2022. Will South Plantation repeat their success, or does Archbishop McCarthy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.