Softball Game Preview: Hartsville Red Foxes vs. Lakewood Gators

The Hartsville Red Foxes will venture away from home to face off against the Lakewood Gators at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Lakewood will be up against a hot Hartsville team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Hartsville put the hurt on Darlington with a sharp 9-1 win on Wednesday.

Allie Bailey spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jaysha McCullough, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. She also hit a triple, marking her first of the season. Aliyah Smith was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.

Hartsville 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 four strikeouts in five consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Lakewood, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Lower Richland a 19-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Gators haven't had any issues with the Diamond Hornets recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Hartsville pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Lakewood, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.

Everything went Hartsville's way against Lakewood in their previous meeting back in April of 2018, as Hartsville made off with a 20-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hartsville since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.