Softball Preview: Newman Fighting Cardinals vs. Prentice Buccaneers
The Newman Fighting Cardinals will head out on the road to face off against the Prentice Buccaneers at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. Prentice took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Newman, who comes in off a win.
Having struggled with eight defeats in a row, Newman finally turned things around against Marathon on Thursday. Newman sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-6 win over Marathon. Newman's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Ashley Jankowski spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and two unearned) runs on 11 hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings every time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Newman saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ava Sukanen, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Lily Shields, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Prentice is still looking for their season's first win. They lost 16-1 to Athens on Thursday.
Newman's victory ended a 12-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-11. As for Prentice, their loss dropped their record down to 0-12.
Everything went Newman's way against Prentice in their previous matchup back in May of 2022 as Newman made off with a 14-1 win. Will Newman repeat their success, or does Prentice have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
