Softball Game Preview: Lockwood Tigers vs. Pierce City Eagles

The Lockwood Tigers will head out on the road to take on the Pierce City Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lockwood's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Pierce City's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Lockwood will bounce into Thursday's contest after beating Ash Grove, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Tigers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday.

Kallie Griffin was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 13 over 6.2 innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.

Griffin wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Reese Whitesell, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. Another was Hadley Abbiatti, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Pierce City was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 12-11 heartbreaker at the hands of Wheaton.

Lockwood is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.1 runs on average over those games. As for Pierce City, their loss dropped their record down to 3-9.

Lockwood took their victory against Pierce City in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.