Softball Game Preview: Cleveland Central Wolves vs. Meridian Wildcats

The Cleveland Central Wolves are taking a road trip to square off against the Meridian Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Cleveland Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.

Cleveland Central's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Greenville with a sharp 17-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Wolves, who have now won 12 matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

Hailey Love made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4. That's the most stolen bases she has posted over her last six contests.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Stella Rose Cartwright, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most RBI she has posted over her last seven games. Haley Sterling was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.

Cleveland Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Greenville only posted an OBP of .444.

Meanwhile, Meridian was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They lost 19-4 to Oak Grove.

Cleveland Central has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.7 runs over those games. As for Meridian, their loss dropped their record down to 7-14.