Softball Preview: Southern Valley/Alma vs. Hershey Panthers
Southern Valley/Alma will head out on the road to take on the Hershey Panthers on Thursday.
Southern Valley/Alma will head into Tuesday's contest out to bounce back: they won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Tuesday. They lost 9-3 to Centura. Southern Valley/Alma's defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Southern Valley/Alma saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mikah Schultz, who went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI. That's the fewest strikeouts Schultz has posted since back in August of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Natalee Holste, who scored a run and stole two bases.
Even though they lost, Southern Valley/Alma didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with six strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hershey). They blew past Holyoke 16-0 on Monday. Winning may never get old, but the Panthers sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Ellie Hampton made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive pitching appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Jaycie Reitz was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Katie Abbott, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Southern Valley/Alma's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 12-6. As for Hershey, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-11.
Southern Valley/Alma took their win against Hershey in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 11-3. Will Southern Valley/Alma repeat their success, or does Hershey have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
