Softball Preview: Gunnison Cowboys vs. Montrose Red Hawks
The Gunnison Cowboys's homestand will continue as they prepare to take on the Montrose Red Hawks at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Gunnison is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.
Last Saturday, everything went Gunnison's way against Florence as Gunnison made off with a 12-2 victory.
Reese Japuntich made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits. Those six strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kylee McDougal, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Maddie Vollendorf, who scored three runs while going 1-for-3.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Gunnison didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with six strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Montrose fell victim to Fruita Monument and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Wildcats, falling 15-0. Having soared to a lofty 20 runs in the game before, the Red Hawks' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Gunnison's win bumped their record up to 7-10. As for Montrose, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-12.
Montrose's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Gunnison has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.8 hits per game. It's a different story for Montrose, though, as they've been averaging 9.5. Given Gunnison's sizable advantage in that area, Montrose will need to find a way to close that gap.
Gunnison took their victory against Montrose when the teams last played back in August by a conclusive 21-9. Will Gunnison repeat their success, or does Montrose have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
