Softball Game Preview: Minerva Lions vs. West Branch Warriors

Minerva hasn't had much luck against West Branch recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Lions will challenge the Warriors at 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday just wasn't the day for Minerva's offense. They took a 4-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Beaver Local on Wednesday. The match marked the first time this year in which the Lions were not able to get on the board.

Meanwhile, West Branch gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 9-4 win over Salem. The victory continues a trend for the Warriors in their matchups with the Quakers: they've now won nine in a row.

Ellie Tucker and Klary McKay were major factors while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Tucker didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Meanwhile, McKay pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Tucker has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Tucker went 2-for-3 with one RBI, while McKay went 1-for-4 with one home run. That home run marked the first that McKay has launched this season.

In other batting news, Addi Craven and Libbie Davis did most of the damage at the plate: Craven went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while Davis went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those three runs gave Craven a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Carly Loper, who got on base in two of her four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Minerva's loss dropped their record down to 5-10. As for West Branch, their record now sits at 10-3.

Minerva couldn't quite get it done against West Branch in their previous meeting on April 8th as they fell 10-6. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.