Softball Preview: Bentworth Bearcats vs. Neshannock Lancers
The Bentworth Bearcats will head out on the road to challenge the Neshannock Lancers at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Bentworth sitting on 15 straight victories and Neshannock on 23.
Bentworth is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Laurel 2-1.
Sydney Gonglik made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. Gonglik has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. Gonglik was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Gonglik wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Sofia Gaussa, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Neshannock won against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Tuesday with five runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. Neshannock's pitcher stepped up to hand Our Lady of the Sacred Heart a 5-0 shutout. That's two games straight that Neshannock has won by exactly five runs.
Not much got past Addy Frye, who gave up just one hit and racked up 14 Ks to keep Our Lady of the Sacred Heart off the board.
At the plate, Miley Anderson was excellent, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Jaidon Nogay was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with a triple, a run, and a double.
Bentworth's record now sits at 17-2. As for Neshannock, they pushed their record up to 23-0 with that win, which was their 13th straight at home.
Thursday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Bentworth hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .397. However, it's not like Neshannock struggles in that department as they've averaged .422. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bentworth suffered a grim 10-4 defeat to Neshannock when the teams last played back in May of 2019. Can Bentworth avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
