Softball Preview: Highland Trojans vs. Lowell Red Devils
The Highland Trojans will head out on the road to challenge the Lowell Red Devils at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Highland will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Hammond Central on Wednesday. Highland never let Hammond Central onto the board and left with a 13-0 win. Considering Highland has won five contests by more than ten runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Alyssa Niemann and Samantha Zurlis made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Niemann struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Zurlis struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Niemann has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Niemann went 1-for-1 with three RBI and a double, while Zurlis scored three runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Evie Rivera and Jordan Boyd did most of the damage at the plate: Rivera scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Boyd scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Hailey Thomas, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Lowell earned a 10-6 victory over Kankakee Valley on Monday. The win made it back-to-back victories for Lowell.
Peyton Lonardi was incredible, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, a triple, and a run. Preslee Hill was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Highland now has a winning record of 7-6. As for Lowell, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-8.
Highland's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's match. Highland has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Lowell, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Highland continue to outrun the ball?
Highland might still be hurting after the 13-3 loss they got from Lowell when the teams last played on April 8th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Lowell's Kaylee Meeks, who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Now that Highland knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
