Softball Preview: Catholic Central Cougars vs. Hamilton Hawkeyes
The Catholic Central Cougars will head out on the road to challenge the Hamilton Hawkeyes at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Catholic Central is headed into the contest fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Christian with a sharp 20-4 win on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Aleksandra Bockheim was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up four earned runs off seven hits. Bockheim was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing six bases while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Catholic Central let Madeiyn Schaendorf and Riley Lyons loose on the outfield. Schaendorf scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances, while Lyons scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Katence Brown-Holzgen was another key contributor, scoring three runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Hamilton came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.7 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Falcons as they made off with an 11-2 win.
Like Catholic Central, Hamilton also got a great game from a two-way player: Julia Brown. Throwing, Brown pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Kelsey Mersman struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Brown scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Mersman scored a run while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Taylor Oosterink was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Abby Vandenberg, who scored a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Catholic Central now has a winning record of 10-9. As for Hamilton, their victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-7.
Catholic Central's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's match. Catholic Central has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Hamilton, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Catholic Central continue to outrun the ball? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
