Softball Recap: Wednesday's Victory Is Oakwood's Seventh in Last Eight Outings

Oakwood won the last time they faced Heritage and things went their way on Wednesday too. The Comets' pitcher stepped up to hand the Hawks a 14-0 shutout. The Comets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by eight runs or more this season.

Caydence Vermillion made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over 4.1 innings pitched. Vermillion was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024.

In other batting news, Bella Bradford and Irene Rangel did most of the damage at the plate: Bradford went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Rangel went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs and two RBI. Bradford is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Gracie Hanner, who went 3-for-5 with one stolen base and one run.

Oakwood was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .611. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Oakwood has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-7-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Heritage, they dropped their record down to 0-12 with the loss, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season.

Oakwood and Heritage could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings. The Comets (ranked 281st) will meet Salt Fork (ranked 133rd) at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Heritage will square off against Villa Grove at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday with a big rank disadvantage (576 vs. 263).