Softball Preview: Sumter County Panthers vs. Columbus Blue Devils
Sumter County hasn't had much luck against Columbus recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Sumter County Panthers will take on the Columbus Blue Devils at 5:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Tuesday, Sumter County made easy work of Spencer and carried off a 20-3 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Tadaisha Aldridge made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the most hits she has posted since back in August. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Candance Pitts was incredible, going 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and a triple. The dominant performance gave her a new career- in hits. Another player making a difference was Christina Battle, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in both of her plate appearances.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Sumter County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .800. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .367 or higher in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Columbus, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They never let Jordan onto the board and left with a 12-0 win on Tuesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Like Sumter County, Columbus also got a great game from a two-way player: Bethany Smith. On the mound, Smith struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Emily Balauatin pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Smith has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Smith went 1-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple, while Balauatin scored a run while going 1-for-1.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emmie Jones, who went 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Brianna Childers, who went 1-for-1 with a triple, two RBI, and a run.
Sumter County is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. As for Columbus, they pushed their record up to 11-4 with that victory, which was their sixth straight at home.
Thursday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Sumter County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Columbus struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Sumter County might still be hurting after the 16-0 defeat they got from Columbus in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can Sumter County avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
