Softball Game Preview: Orangeburg Prep Indians vs. Laurence Manning Academy Swampcats

The Orangeburg Prep Indians will head out to face off against the Laurence Manning Academy Swampcats at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Orangeburg Prep's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 13-0 margin over Dorchester Academy.

Lauren BaLLew made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.

Prestan Schurlknight

Hits (Career)

04/15/25 @ Dorchester Academy	4
04/04/25 vs Thomas Sumter Academy	3
04/03/25 vs Thomas Sumter Academy	3
04/01/25 @ Thomas Sumter Academy	3
03/25/25 vs Colleton Prep Academy	3

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Prestan Schurlknight, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was HannaH LambrecHt, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.

Orangeburg Prep always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dorchester Academy only posted an OBP of .200.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Laurence Manning Academy). Everything went their way against Hammond on Tuesday as they made off with a 21-3 victory. The win was nothing new for the Swampcats as they're now sitting on three straight.

Orangeburg Prep is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.1 runs over those games. As for Laurence Manning Academy, their record is now 15-2.

Orangeburg Prep suffered a grim 19-4 defeat to Laurence Manning Academy when the teams last played back in March. Can the Indians avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.