Softball Game Preview: Archbishop Hoban Knights vs. Howland Tigers

The Archbishop Hoban Knights will face off against the Howland Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Archbishop Hoban 3.2, Howland 4.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Archbishop Hoban is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Madison get on the board and left with a 21-0 victory. The Knights' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

Meanwhile, Howland came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Royals by a score of 5-0.

Not much got past Makenna Perry, who gave up just a hit and racked up 14 Ks to keep Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy off the board. Perry has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Marissa Ray, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Madison Schmitz was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run.

Archbishop Hoban's win bumped their record up to 21-6. As for Howland, their victory bumped their record up to 17-7.