Softball Game Preview: Estill County Engineers vs. Western Hills Wolverines

The Estill County Engineers will head out on the road to square off against the Western Hills Wolverines at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Estill County is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.

Estill County will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Monday, then bounced right back against Owsley County on Tuesday. The Engineers never let the Owls / Lady Owls get on the board and left with a 15-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Engineers, who have now won nine games by seven runs or more so far this season.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Western Hills and Franklin County meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. The Wolverines fell just short of the Flyers by a score of 6-5. That's two games in a row now that the Wolverines have lost by just one run.

Alli Jones spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on ten hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Presely Fell made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all three of her plate appearances with two runs.

Estill County has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Western Hills, their loss dropped their record down to 6-16.

Estill County skirted past Western Hills 6-4 when the teams last played back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Engineers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.