Softball Game Preview: Grove City Eagles vs. Hickory Hornets

Grove City is 2-8 against Hickory since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Eagles are taking a road trip to face off against the Hornets at 4:00 p.m. Grove City is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.

Grove City hadn't beaten Slippery Rock on the road since April 24, 2021 but that history sure didn't bother them on Thursday. The Eagles walked away with a 14-10 win over the Rockets. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.

Remi Stillwagon was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Lily Rihel, who went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two doubles.

Grove City was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .432. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Hickory might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 6-4 to Hubbard, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The Hornets have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Hickory saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Guiliana Palazzo, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Another was Payton Leunis, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.

Grove City now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Hickory, their loss dropped their record down to 3-7.

Hickory's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Grove City hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. It's a different story for Hickory, though, as they've only averaged .220. Will they be able to contain Grove City's hitters?

Grove City suffered a grim 13-0 defeat to Hickory in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.