Softball Game Preview: Perkins Pirates vs. Columbian Tornadoes

The Perkins Pirates will venture away from home to take on the Columbian Tornadoes at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. Perkins has given up an average of 10.4 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Wednesday just wasn't the day for Perkins' offense. They lost 18-0 to Clyde on Wednesday. Having soared to a lofty 19 runs in the game before, the Pirates' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Meanwhile, Columbian got the win against Willard on Tuesday by a conclusive 13-1. With that win, the Tornadoes brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.

Maizie Mellott made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.

In other batting news, Columbian got a massive performance out of Olyvia Steinmetz, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave Steinmetz a new career-high. Camryn Haman was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one stolen base, and one run.

Columbian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Columbian has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Perkins, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-8.

Perkins couldn't quite finish off Columbian in their previous meeting two weeks ago and fell 9-7. Can the Pirates avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.