Softball Preview: Ryle Raiders vs. Rising Sun Shiners
Ryle has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Rising Sun Shiners at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Ryle will head into Tuesday's game hoping to keep the good times rolling: they proved they can win big on Monday (they won by six) but on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged Cooper out 9-7. With that win, Ryle brought their scoring average up to 6.1 runs per game.
Madison Goddard made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched seven innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off 13 hits. Goddard has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in eight consecutive pitching appearances. Goddard was even better at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Zoe Coop, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, a run, and a double. Another player making a difference was Makenna Hirshey, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Rising Sun can now show off five landslide victories after their most recent match on Wednesday. They put the hurt on South Ripley with a sharp 11-0 victory.
Like Ryle, Rising Sun also got a great game from a two-way player: Alyssa Simpson. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Simpson was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, a triple, and a run.
In other batting news, Tamryn Miller and Nora Powell did most of the damage at the plate: Miller went 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base, while Powell scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Emma Russell was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Ryle's record is now 3-6. As for Rising Sun, they pushed their record up to 6-1 with that win, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Ryle hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Rising Sun struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
