Softball Preview: Leadership Academy Falcons vs. North Stokes Vikings
Leadership Academy is 0-5 against North Stokes since March of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Leadership Academy Falcons will head out on the road to take on the North Stokes Vikings at 5:30 p.m. Leadership Academy will be strutting in after a win while North Stokes will be coming in after a defeat.
Leadership Academy can now show off three landslide victories after their most recent match on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Carver a 9-0 shutout. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Leadership Academy.
Ashlyn Koerber made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Koerber has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Koerber was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Alyssa Hopkins was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple. Alexandra Faenza was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, North Stokes fell victim to East Wilkes and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They wound up on the wrong side of a tough 16-0 walloping at the hands of the Cardinals. North Stokes has not had much luck with East Wilkes recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
Leadership Academy's victory bumped their record up to 3-4. As for North Stokes, their loss dropped their record down to 8-11.
Monday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Leadership Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .545. However, it's not like North Stokes struggles in that department as they've averaged .446. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Leadership Academy suffered a grim 13-0 defeat to North Stokes when the teams last played back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of North Stokes' Kinley Mabe, who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Now that Leadership Academy knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
