Softball Preview: Northside Patriots vs. Harris County Tigers
The Northside Patriots will venture away from home to challenge the Harris County Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Northside is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10 runs per game this season.
Northside took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Newnan a 15-0 shutout. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won three matchups by nine runs or more this season.
Wetherly Ridley was a major factor no matter where she played. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Ridley was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Loreal Byrd and Kylie Fridley did most of the damage at the plate: Byrd went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles, while Fridley scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Addie Renner was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Northside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .565. The last time their OBP was this high was back in September of 2023.
Meanwhile, Harris County entered their tilt with Bremen with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They came out on top against the Blue Devils by a score of 5-2 on Saturday.
Like Northside, Harris County also got a great game from a two-way player: Chloe Wolfenbarger. On the mound, she pitched six innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. Wolfenbarger was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI and a double.
Wolfenbarger wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Huckaby Riley, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Northside's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-1. As for Harris County, their record is now 3-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Northside has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Harris County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Northside came out on top in a nail-biter against Harris County when the teams last played back in October of 2023, sneaking past 3-2. Will Northside repeat their success, or does Harris County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
