Softball Preview: Bonham Warriors vs. Blue Ridge Tigers
Bonham is 9-1 against Blue Ridge since February of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Bonham Warriors will head out on the road to face off against the Blue Ridge Tigers at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Bonham: 3.2, Blue Ridge: 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Bonham is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 23 runs on Friday, they were much more limited against Bells on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 3-2. Bonham has not had much luck with Bells recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Reyleigh Shockley spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on eight hits and racked up six Ks. Those eight innings set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, Bonham saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alayna Laisy, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. Parker Patton was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Blue Ridge can now show off 15 landslide victories after their most recent matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by an 11-4 margin over Gunter. The victory was nothing new for Blue Ridge as they're now sitting on five straight.
Blue Ridge also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Izzy Jackson gave up four earned runs on eight hits.
On the hitting side, Miranda Caro and Kenzie Baker did most of the damage at the plate: Caro scored three runs while going 2-for-3, while Baker scored a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Karley Rowe, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Bonham's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 21-8-3. As for Blue Ridge, they pushed their record up to 21-3 with that win, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Bonham has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .448. However, it's not like Blue Ridge struggles in that department as they've averaged .517. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bonham came out on top in a nail-biter against Blue Ridge in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 5-3. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Jackson, who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Bonham still be able to contain Jackson? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
