Softball Preview: Polk County Wolverines vs. R-S Central Hilltoppers
Polk County is 0-5 against R-S Central since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Polk County Wolverines will look to defend their home field against the R-S Central Hilltoppers at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Polk County took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They won by a run and slipped past East Rutherford 5-4.
Elizabeth Vitale was incredible, going 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, R-S Central gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. They never let Patton onto the board and left with a 7-0 win. With that victory, R-S Central brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
The result came thanks to Maeli Crain's shutout, as she gave up just three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in seven consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Lillie Beheler, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, a triple, and two RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Alexis Nanney, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
The win got Polk County back to even at 6-6. As for R-S Central, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 8-4.
Wednesday's contest will be a test for both team's pitchers. Polk County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .326. However, it's not like R-S Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .317. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Polk County came up short against R-S Central in their previous matchup on Friday, falling 4-1. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Crain, who didn't allow a single earned run over 6.2 innings pitched. Now that Polk County 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
