Softball Preview: Oak Lawn Spartans vs. Thornton Fractional North Meteors
Oak Lawn is 6-0 against Thornton Fractional North since April of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Oak Lawn Spartans will be playing at home against the Thornton Fractional North Meteors at 4:30 p.m. Oak Lawn is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
After a string of four wins, Oak Lawn's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They fell just short of Reavis by a score of 6-5.
Natalie Orozco was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-5 with a home run. Jess Carey was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Thornton Fractional North came into Tuesday's match having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They skirted past Horizon Science Academy McKinley Park 12-11. Thornton Fractional North's offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last three games.
Jimena Jimenez made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up eight earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). Jimenez was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of her six plate appearances.
In other batting news, Thornton Fractional North got a big performance out of Stephanie Montiel, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Alayna Cain-Brown, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5.
Oak Lawn's defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 6-4. As for Thornton Fractional North, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-6.
Thornton Fractional North's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Oak Lawn hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. It's a different story for Thornton Fractional North, though, as they've only averaged .178. Will they be able to contain Oak Lawn's hitters?
Oak Lawn took their win against Thornton Fractional North in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 21-0. Does Oak Lawn have another victory up their sleeve, or will Thornton Fractional North turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
