Softball Game Preview: Massaponax Panthers vs. Hylton Bulldogs

The Massaponax Panthers will challenge the Hylton Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Massaponax has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with 15 straight losses, while Hylton will come in with three straight victories.

The home team had come away the winner the last four times Massaponax and Colonial Forge had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Panthers came up short against the Eagles on Tuesday, falling 13-1.

Meanwhile, Hylton made easy work of Freedom on Tuesday and carried off a 17-3 win. Considering the Bulldogs have won eight matches by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Alanis Layne was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Alexandra Newton, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and five RBI. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 2.1 runs per game. Jordyn Bullock was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base.

Hylton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .618. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Freedom only posted an OBP of .350.

Hylton pushed their record up to 10-4 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Massaponax, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-14.