Softball Preview: Franklin Quakers vs. Cleveland Warriors
Franklin is 8-2 against Cleveland since May of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Franklin Quakers will look to defend their home field against the Cleveland Warriors at 4:00 p.m.
Franklin is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Roosevelt just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Roughriders by a score of 8-6.
Grace Vaupel spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and four unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up nine Ks.
At the plate, Kaylee Abramson was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. Bobbi Jean Wixon was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Cleveland put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They blew past Lincoln 11-5. The win was some much needed relief for Cleveland as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Jillian Lee was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Lee has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Lee was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Kailen Steffek was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with a home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Mei Mei Boghossian, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Franklin's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-8. As for Cleveland, their victory bumped their record up to 8-12.
Thursday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Franklin hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .348. However, it's not like Cleveland struggles in that department as they've averaged .343. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Franklin's way against Cleveland in their previous meeting back in April as Franklin made off with a 17-10 win. Will Franklin repeat their success, or does Cleveland have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
