Softball Preview: Griffin Bears vs. Northside Patriots
Griffin hasn't had much luck against Northside recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Griffin Bears will be playing at home against the Northside Patriots at 5:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Griffin's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by an 18-0 margin over Jonesboro.
Ryan Risper was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases.
In other batting news, Briana Parker was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Olivia Parks, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Northside came tearing into Tuesday's match with 18 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.6 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Panthers as they made off with a 12-0 victory.
Maiya Schmanski was a standout: she scored two runs while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Loreal Byrd, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Northside hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in 14 consecutive games.
Griffin now has a winning record of 9-8. As for Northside, their win was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-2.
Wednesday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Griffin has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of 0. However, it's not like Northside struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Griffin might still be hurting after the 9-1 loss they got from Northside in their previous meeting back in August. Will Griffin have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
