The Oakwood Panthers will head out to face off against the Brookeland Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
It was a proper cat-fight when Oakwood challenged Neches on Friday. The Panthers beat the Tigers by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 11-10. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.
The team relied heavily on Jaslen Milligan, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Madison Churchill, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with three stolen bases and two RBI.
Oakwood always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .705. Their OBP was a full 0 higher than the also-impressive .538 that Neches posted.
Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Brookeland walked away with it. They put the hurt on the Pirates with a sharp 14-0 victory on Thursday. Considering the Wildcats have won nine matchups by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Paige Powell made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, Carlee Justice was a standout: she went 1-for-2 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Cierra Justice also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Brookeland's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-4-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.0 runs over those games. As for Oakwood, their record now sits at 7-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Oakwood has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Brookeland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
