Softball Game Preview: Laurence Manning Academy Swampcats vs. Wilson Hall Barons

The Laurence Manning Academy Swampcats will venture away from home to take on the Wilson Hall Barons at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Laurence Manning Academy knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Wilson Hall likes a good challenge.

Laurence Manning Academy's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Wednesday's struggle, when Orangeburg Prep hitters got past them. The Swampcats put the hurt on the Indians with a sharp 22-16 win two weeks ago. Considering the Swampcats have won 12 matchups by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Carolina Academy hit Wilson Hall with a four-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Barons fell 5-2 to the Bobcats. Having soared to a lofty 13 runs in the game before, the Barons couldn't push the score so high this time.

Laurence Manning Academy pushed their record up to 16-2 with the victory, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Wilson Hall, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-8.

Laurence Manning Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Wilson Hall when the teams last played back in March, winning 5-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Swampcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.