Softball Preview: Mercer County Golden Eagles vs. Rockridge Rockets
Mercer County is 0-10 against Rockridge since March of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Mercer County Golden Eagles will head out on the road to challenge the Rockridge Rockets at 4:30 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Mercer County: 3, Rockridge: 1.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Monday, it was a hard-fought match, but Mercer County had to settle for a 5-4 loss against Fulton.
Rayla Parkinson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Rockridge came tearing into Monday's matchup with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.6 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Rams onto the board and left with a 1-0 victory. Despite the win, that was the fewest runs Rockridge has scored all season.
Rockridge's victory was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kendra Lewis, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Lewis has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than seven innings in six consecutive pitching appearances.
Mercer County's defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 5-2. As for Rockridge, they pushed their record up to 8-1 with that win, which was their third straight at home.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mercer County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rockridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Mercer County came up short against Rockridge in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, falling 6-1. Thankfully for Mercer County, Payton Brown (who went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and a double) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
