Softball Preview: New Castle Trojans vs. Knightstown Panthers
New Castle is 8-0 against Knightstown since May of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The New Castle Trojans will be playing at home against the Knightstown Panthers at 5:00 p.m. Knightstown took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on New Castle, who comes in off a win.
Last Wednesday, New Castle beat Richmond 5-2.
McKenna Speer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on five hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kattie Mathews, who scored two runs and stole four bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last five games she's played. Artaysha Thompson was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-1.
Knightstown lost 11-1 to Hagerstown on Thursday. Knightstown has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Jalyn Kopp made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all three of her plate appearances with a stolen base and a double.
New Castle's victory bumped their record up to 7-16. As for Knightstown, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. New Castle has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Knightstown struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6. The only question left is which team can snag more.
New Castle skirted past Knightstown 8-6 when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Will New Castle repeat their success, or does Knightstown have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
