Softball Recap: Patton Comes Up Short

Patton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their eighth straight loss. They came up short against the Freedom Patriots, falling 21-14. Even if the Panthers couldn't come away with the win, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.

Alex Maines stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: she went 3-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Lila Hudson, who fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-5.

Patton's defeat dropped their record down to 4-13. As for Freedom, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-15.

Patton and Freedom could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings. Patton (ranked 364th) will meet Hibriten (ranked 170th) at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Freedom will square off against McDowell at 6:00 p.m. on Friday with a big rank disadvantage (284 vs. 135).